Happy Dance!! Homestudy is D*O*N*E

Play Video for the music playing in my head as I type this!!

I am SO happy to say that I just got a late night email from our social worker, saying that our homestudy is DONE, and she's having it notarized tomorrow morning!! I am so HAPPY! I will pick it up from her tomorrow, and I just may kiss and hug her, and then sleep with the homestudy until Tuesday. If you see me around town with a stack of paper in my arms, it will be my homestudy. I don't know if I can let it out of my sight before then....I am so doing the happy dance right now!

Project of the day *edited*

I became inspired to make some Ethiopia tshirts for my family, and then I thought, some of my fellow Ethiopia lovers might enjoy them as well. I plan to do some adult versions as well, but I picked up these "recycled" shirts today. New shirts will be $15 for kids and around $20 for adults. Of course, the proceeds go to our adoption fund! If you want me to make a custom one for you, just email me and let me know size/color and if it's boy girl. And maybe which style below you like and I"ll do my best to duplicate it! erynkesler@gmail.com

ps...if you want to link me up on your blog, I'd be forever grateful! You can copy and paste the first photo if you want. Thanks, I appreciate your support!

Here's my model sporting his new Ethiopia "superstar" shirt as he likes to call it


Here is a girls Old Navy shirt/dress size small. I think it's comparable to a size 5/6 and could be a longer dress for a littler girl. It's fushia, and is altered with Africa on the lower left side and ethiopia stained into Africa. $12





Here is another girls Old Navy hot pink tee, size 5T. Altered with Africa and Ethiopia stained across the chest. $12




Here is a boys green tshirt, size small (I'd guess 2 or 3T). Ethiopia stained across the front and Africa on the belly. $10.




All are totally unique and hand stained, so are somewhat "irregular" that is part of the altered charm. These 3 are recycled shirts from a local resale shop but are in great condition. Please email me if you're interested in purchasing and I'll paypal you an invoice. Shipping not included...Thanks for looking!erynkesler@gmail.com

Yay for the homestudy lady!

I got an email today from our social worker letting me know our homestudy is "complete" and she is currently proofreading for errors/typos etc, and we'll very soon have it in our hands! Finally, the ball will be moving forward again!

Each time we take another step forward, I can't help but think about our girl, where she is...what her mommy must be thinking. I pray often for that mom, praying for God to give her peace the decisions she has in front of her or the people who will love our baby girl enough to give her up.

I also saw this video today on another friends blog, and was so touched by it. Check it!


Drawn from Water from Drawn From Water on Vimeo.

it won't happen right away...

As we drove the winding road to church this morning for the easter egg hunt, Matt said to me, "it feels like this is not ever going to happen."  I agreed, and sarcastically said I didn't think it would be the last time we felt this way. 

There's been moments where we're being propelled forward in this adoption process, unbelieving that we're suddenly moving forward...only to be slowed to a tortise like pace at the next stop on our list of to-do's. Currently, we're waiting for our homestudy to be written and delivered to us so we can move on to the next peice of necessary paperwork. We turned in our paperwork for it months ago, and finished our homestudy visits 5 weeks ago. I never thought this part would take this long, but what really goes according to MY plan in this process?:)

We've both been trying to occupy our minds with other things as we wait, knowing we need to perfect our waiting skills for the BIG wait on the wait list, and the even bigger wait once we see Miss Lucy's face and can't yet go get her. 

Today I was blog hopping my adoption blogroll, and I was moved to tears by an article by Laura Byers over at Jesus Lovin' Momma.  She was recently published in the Huntsville (alabama) Times with an article about bringing her little Mercy home from Ethiopia. (read it here)

Here's a clip of the story that brought tears to my eyes...Exactly what the Lord wanted me to hear today:

"As I waited in a little room for the adoption agency staff to bring Mercy to me, I remember feelign so overwhelmed by God's faithfulness. I thougth back on the first piece of paper work we completed, and how we wondered where the money would come from for these adoption expenses.

God provided everything we needed, every step of the way to get to that moment where I would be meeting my daughter for the very first time. I remember one of my favorite verses, Habakkuk 2:3: But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the tiem approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed."

Wow. Tears and tears. I can picture myself in that exact moment, the emotion of God's faithfulness flooding over me, seeing the completion of his vision in our hearts. That verse meant SO much to me. This is a slow process. Many delays and setbacks. But I loved the part that says, "For it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." This really is God's vision. God's plan. There are NO delays for him. He is bigger than all of it. He is more powerful than any paperwork setback. I get teary again as I think that His mighty plans cannot be delayed. He is not affected by this world's delays and setbacks. If he wanted us to be setting our feet in the soil of Ethiopia today, you can bet there would be nothing keeping us from it. Not money, not paperwork, not visas or adoption decrees. He has a plan already in motion. I need to put my faith in His mighty hand. As if He is my traffic flagger. You know, those guys in orange vests on the side of the road, flagging you through the construction? I can see Him standing there, with his hand up , saying "not yet". He will flip that stop sign around to flag us through when it's safe to do so. When it's His timing...

Now, I just need to keep my focus on that and not let my eyes wander off my flagger, who will flag me through in His perfect timing. My faith has to be as big as my Mighty God. 

Thanks, Laura, for that verse. It just moved to my #1 favorite.

slow week & twilight

Well, I am sure this is nothing like what "THE WAIT", but waiting for the ol' homestudy to wrap up feels so slow!

So, I caved, bought a copy of Twilight, and read it over the weekend. I really didn't want to like it. I admit, I rolled my eyes at my girlfriends for months as they read, went to the midnight book releases, movie showings. Finally...I could resist no longer:)

I loved it. Watched the movie tonight (because I can't my hands on book 2 til tomorrow) and made Matt watch it with me...and he actually liked it! (maybe because I fed him Oreos and milk during it...)

I have decided to wait until Thursday before asking about the homestudy again. That will be two weeks from my last check in with our social worker. I am pray pray praying that our rough draft will show up soon! Thanks everyone for your prayers and encouragement. I will continue to distract myself with the Twilight series, hopefully by the time I can finish the series, the homestudy will be DONE! Right? right.