life update....and the give-a-way WINNER!

I'll update you on the home front in a minute. But let's have the winner of our East River Trading Co. give-a-way!!

Thanks to all that participated! If you haven't had a chance to stop by and visit them, then hurry up! You'll be glad you did!

And the winner is.....

Congrats Leslie!! Just head on down Wednesday-Sunday 11am-6pm and show your ID to claim your $15 dollar gift certificate! Enjoy!!

Y'all, life is so full! I've been hoping to sit down and blog all about it, and things like that beautiful smile above that had the ol' metal taken off today; but my home looks like it threw up, and needs some MAJOR attention in the house keeping department. The words that our girls said months ago when we were keeping our nephew.."our home is going to be a disaster when we have a toddler", is screaming at me.... and we don't even have a toddler yet.....Lord, help me.


We are slowly getting back to normal...not really. Let's say, we are learning our "new" normal....trying to decide how much of the old routine will go back into place or what will never enter the schedule again.... like, SLEEP. Glorious SLEEP!

I had forgotten how much I needed it.....and liked it...





this gorgeous baby turned 8 weeks old today...this makes me smile so much. This picture was taken last week, and if she wasn't sound asleep in her dreaded crib right now, I would take a new updated one. I say dreaded, because if it were her way, all of her sleep times would look like this....






we've had some sweet bonding time,  but I'm not the only one......the babies of the family started their bond early as well....



so much that the one on the right decided she would like to share a room with her. This of course did come at a small price. I negotiated taking some of Lizzy's personal space, with giving her most of the say in the design of the new space...



The above (minus the fact she turned into a hoarder over the past few years), has been her room for almost 11 years.

So we've done the pink and green, and honestly PINK for so long, that Lizzy required we go with her favorite color.... BLUE......and I couldn't agree more.

Since we didn't think we would get baby when adopting, and with absolutely no preparation for one, we were BLESSED with the necessities of all things baby, by friends and family; but a nursery was FAR from our minds and importance over the last two months.

I've been racking my brain....a design is there, but the fabric choices have been so hard for me to decide on.... but I'm happy to say, I think I have it down to these..... but might throw in a few more if needed ;)












Hopefully, I'll finish the room before too long :)

you know that house I was writing of in the beginning?? It's calling my name.......loudly.  My time's up, peeps!

Happy Tuesday, and hope to see you soon!

a new little jewel in town.....

It all started when I got a text message telling me I needed to go check out this new gig in town. So Tim and I headed there that day, and I knew immediately our older girl's babysitting money was going straight in these guys pockets.....




Meet Jennifer and Greg.....

Jennifer (a native of Dothan), and her husband headed back to Dothan after years in New York, to open East River Trading Co.

They have taken their love for style, organic goods, vintage and simplicity to created this fun little shop; with big dreams, and future plans of additions to the extra large space they have behind this little jewel.


Here is what they have to say about it....

"We make everything by hand, no matter what it is. We think everything you put on your body, in your body or your home should be made with some love and care. Not trying to be all against "The man", but what happened to Mom and Pop stores? Places that made things that lasted, and were not cookie cutter junk? Well we like those places, and want to be a part of the old ways of doing things. So that's how we go about doing stuff...

P.S. All of our sewn goods are one of a kind.  They are draped not patterned......

We super like what we do and really believe in everything we make.  All of our Body and Soul line is ALL NATURAL and so good for you.  On top of that all of our sewn goods are made from upcycled materials!!!"

Take a peek inside and then meet me at the end for details on a GIVE-A-WAY!!


Enjoy.....

So here's the scoop! There are two ways to be entered for a $15 Dollar Gift Certificate give-a-way to East River Trading Co.

1. You can go to their Facebook page by clicking  HERE, or look them up on FB under East River Trading. You must like/friend their page to be entered once.

2. For a second entry, go to their website by clicking HERE , and sign up on their email list.

Then****Very important! Comment on this blog post OR comment on my Facebook page (if that's where you found this) UNDER the link to this blog post and share with me that you did either or both. Make sure you provide me with your name and email address so that I can contact you if you won!

Drawing to be held on Tuesday, January 14th at noon!

ok peeps, get your name in the hat; time's a tickin'!! And in the meantime go check them out at....

1369 Headland Ave. Dothan, AL 36303

you are worth Christmas...

blogging, is probably on the bottom of my priority list this week...

but I've been wanting to update you all, and share the following with you....

as you are about to see, we are so in love this little piggy.....

She loves to communicate by snorting..... It's quite funny.

That' more of her cry....."The Snort", as we call it.

Her daddy and I are smitten over her.....

her sisters, are my sidekicks.....

They are the biggest helpers. And they forgive me a hundred times over when my "cranky, sleepless mommy" comes out.....which isn't pretty.....

As many of you know, my brother is a photographer..... when he couldn't make it down to shoot the newborn pics, the only other person I trusted to capture "us" was Lindsay.


I have always appreciated Lindsay's work. I called her last minute and asked her if she would come capture the moment of the newness of this new life.


She was so gracious to jump on it the day before Thanksgiving. She wants what I want. Just snap away, and get the real deal. Not the poses. She has a gift of having the artistic eye on life.

I can't tell  you how much she blessed us....

I can't not tell you the amount of times a day I think..... " We have a baby......", "We have a new daughter.."..

but we are not the only ones in love with her......

Hope's story is only at the beginning of her time to share it. We know God has big plans for her life. Her little soul has already captured the hearts of so many. People can't deny the love of our Heavenly Father when they see her.

This past message at church was a beautiful one. I encourage you to click on the link below and watch it.

It is the most beautiful picture of adoption into God's family as Galatians 4 speaks of.

When Andy talks about the love that is different of the love for your children that you birthed. It has nothing to do with a less or more love. I knew exactly what he meant. It is a love that is driven by the Father, that was given immediately and unconditionally to Hope.

He talks about being "pursued".....That is the most powerful word in that message to me. Hope was pursued.. Prayed for. Loved. Cherished. Way before us meeting her. And not just by us. God has pursued her. That is what brings full tears to my eyes. That is what fills my heart with song for her new life.

Adoption and this Sunday's message, opened my eyes even more so to the love God has for me. For us. That He would pursue us, and adopt us into His family.

I did wonder before Hope was even in the picture, what it would feel like.....

When she came to us, I realized, she's been in the picture all along. From the beginning, God had planned her life. It is something I "knew" in my head, but really didn't reach my heart until I started to see God reveal it.  Everything in our life leading up to Hope joining our family was preparing us. I can look back at YEARS ago and see how that plays apart in her becoming our daughter.

There is no denying the beautiful plan God has for His children. There is no denying there is purpose in life. There is no denying that God wants us. That He pursues us. There is no denying the birth of Jesus for us. There is no denying the love of Christ. The sacrifice that was made. The blood that was shed for us; the grave that was conquered to become adopted. To become children of God.

We hadn't any idea that this message series "The Thrill of Hope", was what our series would be on this Christmas at church. I knew when we named her Hope, that it was going to be a powerful name. It is a powerful word to me. It was a powerful presences in the room that morning we named her. It's a word that means so much in my life.

So much so, that God deeply placed that word last Christmas on my heart. We even shared it with others, and stamped it in a building with artwork of a place that provided hope. Little did I know, that even then, God was burning her story into my heart. That He was preparing me for Hope.

Hope wasn't a name we had even talked about as a family. We had never even mentioned it.

When the birth mother and I named her. It didn't take me long at all. I feel certain God gave me her name, as I told the birth mother, that I wanted her to have hope. There is still hope in her life. That through Jesus, He has provided her hope. That precious mother IS worth something. I want to tell her over and over, that she is. Please click the link below, as you will find, YOU are worth something too. You are worth Christmas.



Because of Christmas. Because you are worth it.

Merry Christmas and To God be the Glory!

Galatians 4:4-7

New International Version (NIV)

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.[a] 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Soninto our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[b] Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.

http://northpoint.org/messages/the-thrill-of-hope/your-story/