From Jonestown, With Love

Our dear friend, Paula Kissinger, created these one-of-a-kind gifts for our children this year.  Thank you so much, Paula, for your love and creativity!  These photos are for you!

Handmade Doilies by Brenda - New Adoption Fundraiser!

Are you looking for a unique, handmade gift for that special occasion coming up? Well I have just the idea for you, and I can bet that no one else will give the same gift! My mother-in-law, Brenda, makes beautiful, handmade, crocheted name doilies. She is offering her talents as a fundraiser to help us bring Sophia home from Taiwan.


Now for the details...these unique doilies are available in white or ecru/tan, horizontal or vertical, with a lacy shell or pointed edge border. They are beautiful matted and framed, or as a pillow top, and are usually ready in 1-4 weeks. They make great holiday, graduation, wedding, birthday, teacher or baby shower gifts and are excellent for first and/or last names, nicknames, slogans or favorite sports teams. The doilies cost $25 for up to 5 letters and $3 for each additional letter. You choose the color, edging, and of course, the personalization. This is a fundraiser for our little Sophia with a minimum of $10 per doily being donated to Sophia’s adoption...and you get a unique, personalized keepsake for yourself or to give as a gift!

We are taking orders on a first-come, first-served basis, so get your holiday orders in as soon as possible! To place an order, e-mail me at tfisher83@myexcel.com with your desired color, edging, and personalization. I will then send you an invoice via Paypal. As soon as I receive your payment, your order will be processed and filled! (For those orders requiring shipping, an additional charge of $5.00 will be added to cover priority shipping costs.) Please help us pass the word around about this fundraiser, and thanks for supporting our family and helping us bring our daughter home from Taiwan!

Paint Colors

Here are the photos of the two paint colors we used recently in our home...I know some of my friends wanted to see them.  They didn't photograph really well, but you can get the idea.  They are both from Sherwin Williams...a very helpful place, I might add!  (And, no, I'm not getting paid to say that!)  Thanks again to my friend Tiffany who helped me paint...I wouldn't have been able to do it without her!  At least one summer project was accomplished this year!

"cay" in my craft room

"lighthearted pink" in Sophia's room

Painting Frenzy

I don't have any photos for this post, but I will take photos of the end result...I promise!  Yesterday my good friend, Tiffany, came to help me paint my craft room and Sophia's room.  What a job!  I am no house painter, so I naively thought it wouldn't take too long and we could get it all done in one day...well that didn't happen!  We were able to primer Sophia's room (it was a very bright yellow for Nathaniel) and get the first coat on in the craft room.  The taping and cutting in really takes awhile, I found out!  (That, and managing the scuffles of six children at the same time...)  But Tiffany is a self-proclaimed perfectionist when it comes to painting, and a good teacher.  She is making our rooms look great!  We were going to continue today, but one of my boys wasn't feeling well, so we are postponing to next week.  We should be done in one or two more days...I'll post photos of the finished project!  THANKS, TIFFANY!

Will You Be My Roomie?

We have been working on some rearranging of room assignments at our home this summer in anticipation of Sophia's arrival.  The first big change occurred a week ago when Nathaniel moved into Benjamin's room and the two little boys became roommates!  Benjamin moved to the top bunk and Nathaniel now occupies the bottom bunk, so both kiddos have had some adjustments to make.  Dave thought it would take a week to adjust, but Nathaniel is still enjoying his new found freedom of getting out of bed, turning on the light, and climbing up to join Benjamin at least once a night.  Both boys are getting less sleep than they were used to, but maybe that's not a bad thing.  I'm sure eventually they will settle down...just in time for a new schedule when school starts!

Benjamin's room is painted bright yellow with other primary colors as accents, so we decided to repurpose Nathaniel's old changing table/dresser by painting it red and using it as his permanent dresser.  Last week, while Sabastian was camp, Jonathan helped me sand it down, and I painted it.  We started with spray paint, which Dave applied, but that didn't work too well.  But the final effect is pretty cool...almost looks distressed without being distressed...people pay big bucks for that!  You can see the process and final product in the photos below...

This is what the finish looked like before it was sanded

Jonathan hard at work sanding the drawers...he did an awesome job!

The main piece after being sanded...the brown that remains added to the distressed look in the end!

Dave surveying his spray painting...and not liking what he was seeing!

The final product...doesn't it look cool against that yellow wall?

Nathaniel likes it!

The next step in the room switcheroo is to move the remainder of my craft stuff upstairs to our guest bedroom/back room.  It used to be up there originally, then I moved to the basement, and now I'm moving back up...go figure!  Before I move completely I am painting that room, so currently I have four shades of blue on the wall in an attempt to decide what color I want in there.  Hopefully I'll get that painted with the help of a friend, and then I can move the remainder of my stuff up and get settled again.  That will open up the downstairs area outside of the younger kids' rooms as a playroom, which will be nice.  There will be lots of space for a play kitchen area which I can't wait to have for Sophia and her brothers to use!

The final project is Sophia's room.  I'm SO excited to be decorating a little girl's room finally.  Of course, it will be pink, with brown as the accent color.  I already have a lot of decorations picked out or made.  I'm enjoying collecting items from Etsy and other places, and also making and repurposing items.  I am going to paint the crib white and turn it into a toddler bed (hopefully...we can't find the directions!) and paint a current dresser that we have white and give it some new knobs.  I have already spray painted a grapevine wreath white and have pink and brown ribbon to decorate it with, and I have fabric that will be incorporated into a quilt for her bed.  Little sparrow birdies and plum/cherry blossoms are going to be the motif.  It's going to look really cool!  I'll show photos as I go along...I'm very excited, but need to get the other projects done first!

So, there you have it.  The summer is a good time to do all this movin' and groovin' indoors, especially on days like today when it's a bloomin' 100 degrees outside in the shade!  I hope you're keeping cool in your little corner of the world!

Quilt Raffle to Benefit a Friend's Adoption

One of the perks of being on our adoption journey is the opportunity we have had to "meet"--via the internet--so many wonderful people who are on their own adoption journeys.  There is a comradarie and fellowship among us that only happens when you have experienced or are experiencing something similar.  One of the first women I met was Robin.  I fell in love with the sewing creations that she was making to bring home her daughter, Mia Hope.  Our little Sophia will hopefully fit in several lovely outfits I purchased to support Robin and her family as they saved to bring Mia Hope home from China.  Now, they are on a new journey to bring home another daughter from China.  They are holding a raffle for a beautiful handmade quilt that contains many of the fabric remnants Robin used in her clothing designs while sewing to bring Mia Hope home.  I encourage you to take a look here and if you feel led, purchase a number (or two or three) and help this family on their quest to fulfill God's desire for the orphaned.  Thanks!

History Fair

My Kindergarten Class

Last night was our school's History Fair and Spring Concert. My parents were able to come up from Delaware to see their grandkids perform, which was so nice. I even got in on the act as we finished the evening with a song performed by the teachers. It was great to be singing in a group again, as I haven't done that in quite awhile!

The History Fair theme this year was toys and games. Students in grades 3-12 had to do individual projects, while the K4, K5, and 1-2 grades did a class project. For my K5 class, I chose to research the game, Barrel of Monkeys. It just seemed so apropos for the group I had this year! I did some online searching for info, and then the children helped me develop a Venn diagram comparing the "old" version of the game with the "new" version of the game. I was even able to find a 1966, new in package, version of the game on Ebay for a great price! The children enjoyed comparing the two barrels of monkeys visually, as well. I also had each student take home a die cut monkey to decorate for our display. They did a fantastic job! I was really pleased with how it all turned out.

Benjamin's class (K4) did a little project on their favorite games. His teacher had the students bring in their favorite games, and then she took a picture of each of them with their game. Her display really turned out cute, too! Sabastian's project was on Silly Putty. We all learned a lot about that silly stuff! Did you know that it was created accidentally as a scientist was trying to make an alternative to rubber during WWII? Jonathan's project piggy-backed with his research paper this year. He did the game of Chess. He loves playing that game, and it was interesting to read up on the history and the innovations over the years. Sabastian's project won third place in his age group, and all the boys did a really nice job (after some motherly prodding and prompting!). Way to go, guys!

Where...

...has the time gone? I figured I should at least try to figure out an answer to that question for myself, so let's see...in the last of half of March (in no particular order):

- I held my Pampered Chef show and it went very well. Thank you to all who ordered to help bring Sophia home!

- I finished out a reading emphasis month at school with various weekly activities. I kind of spear-headed the whole thing, and was very pleased with how it went. And, my K5 class tied with the High School for the most participation, so they get a special lunch as a reward!

- I dealt with a sick hubby and sick kids and ended up sick myself. I'm trying to get rid of a very stubborn cold/sinus infection and am running on near empty every day...ugh!

- I had the girls from our Grantville Girls Bible Club over for homemade pizza and a movie. It was fun!

- I taught my grad class at LBC, worked my last few hours at The Children's Place (I'm now per diem) and of course taught K5.

- I went to DE to attend a Stamp Camp with my mom and had lots of fun being creative.

- I read a variety of books including Jana's Journal by Jeanette Windle. I really like her books, both for kids and adults!

I'm sure there are more things, but that's all my foggy brain can remember at this point. Suffice it to say, it's been busy around here! I'm glad for a mini Spring break this weekend, and time to meditate on Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made on my behalf.

Happy Easter!

Art

I have several prolific young artists at my house. The hard part was figuring out what to do with all that art! My good friend, Bethany Hissong, had one of these fantastic shower curtain lines from IKEA hanging in her gallery, HATCH. I stole the idea and finally got it installed last weekend during our winter storm. It hangs along the only really long uninterrupted stretch of wall in the house...the little hallway in the basement that leads to our bedroom and bath. I would love to have several more of these, but for now, I will just have to have rotating art displays. If anyone else has some great ideas for storing and displaying prolific young artists' work, let me know!

a view to the right

a view to the left

a close up of the clips...so cool!

another place we hang art...this is in the kitchen

Nathaniel getting in on the act!

Benjamin loves to draw with an ink pen...lots of roads, houses, and people, all with a story to tell!

after the cats moved in, he had to color this picture (printed from the internet as none of the big people in the house could draw a good enough cat!)

hard at work

Hide N Seek Woodland Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

This is a beautiful dress being given away on a blog called Shabby Apple. As I want to learn to sew someday, the blog intrigues me. This little dress is just magical, in my opinion. Check it out: Hide N Seek Woodland Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Summer Creativity

Heard at our house yesterday:

Benjamin (in kitchen at art easel): "Yessss! Yessss!"

Mom and Sabastian exchange quizzical looks in the living room.

Mom: "What are you 'yesssing'?"

Benjamin: "I drawed the Axiom!" (Note to those who have never seen the movie WALL-E...the Axiom is the spaceship in the movie where WALL-E follows EVE and saves the day for humankind...you must see the movie...)

Mom and Sabastian walk to the kitchen and look at the conglomeration of color and share an amused look over Benjamin's head.

Benjamin (with a huge grin): "I'm an artist now!"

Mom (with a smile): "Yes you are, Buddy!"

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As a Mom, I love to see my 4-year old being so creative. My older boys were adopted out of foster care. I missed out on participating in their more formative years, and, probably due to the circumstances in which they lived during those years, they rarely engaged in imaginative or creative play when they became a part of our family at the ages of 4 and 6. It's so refreshing to see our younger two boys developing their imaginations and creativity, and their sense of self-accomplishment. I know you are dying to see Benjamin's painting, so here it is:

Notice the brown line weaving around the other colors? That is the "footprint" (tread) that WALL-E left when he roamed around the Axiom trying to find EVE. (Again, you must see the movie!)

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We have made several trips to the library in the past week and a half. Jonathan, our 14 year old, has polished off two thick books already, and Sabastian, our 11 year old, is plowing through the Left Behind series for kids. Even I have gotten into the action...I've completed four novels for young adults thus far...maybe I'll post about them at a later date. In addition to books, our local library has a nice selection of jigsaw puzzles. Sabastian really enjoys putting puzzles together, so he also checked out a puzzle last week. He completed it last night. Here it is:

I'm looking forward to what other kind of creative fun my kids can find this summer...I'm especially excited that both Benjamin and Sabastian will be participating in Summer Art Camps at HATCH with my dear friend Beth. If you are in the Lancaster area, be sure to check out the schedule on her website...I know your kids will have fun and learn a lot!

New Blessings!

It's been awhile since I updated Sophia's Blessing Quilt blog, but today we have reached 25 blessings! Check it out here! We are trying to reach at least 100 blessings/fabric pieces, so feel free to participate if you would like. The information is all on this post!

Grand Opening: Hatch Studio and Gallery, Take 2!

I had a wonderful time at my friend Beth's studio opening on Saturday evening! She has posted all about it here, including some great photos (except the one of me...not that Beth didn't take a great photo, but I don't look so great in it...it had been a long day!). I couldn't walk away without purchasing one of the lovely things there, so I am now the proud owner of a new beaded bracelet from an artist in Thailand! There are so many lovely things in her shop...if you ever come to Lancaster for a visit, make sure to stop in! Congratulations, Beth!

Grand Opening: Hatch Studio and Gallery

Please join me in congratulating my friend, Bethany Hissong, on the Grand Opening of her dream, Hatch Studio and Gallery! I am so excited for her! If you live in the Lancaster, PA, area, you might want to come on out on Saturday, May 2, between 5 and 10 p.m. to check it out for yourself! All of the Grand Opening information is on her website, as well as information about the first adult photography class and the summer children's classes--of which my sons will be a part for sure! Beth is a fantastic artist in her own right, as well as an Art teacher. She is displaying and selling creative works from her friends around the world, including some adoption fundraising cards made by me and my mom. Please join me in congratulating her by visiting her blog, Red Yarn, and leaving a comment! Hope to see you on Saturday!

A Favorite Etsy Shop

On of my favorite Etsy shops is Vintage Hot Cakes. Dawn, the owner, makes various items out of vintage tea towels, among other things. She loves to do commissioned work, and I have gone to her several times with tea towels commemorating anniversaries and birthdays for my family and friends. She has made beautiful pillows and tote bags for me and the recipients have been really tickled when they see the year on the towel.

This year, my husband and I celebrated 13 years of marriage. We really didn't do anything special to commemorate the event, so I told him that I wanted a pillow made for us with our anniversary year. I went on an internet hunt for the perfect 1995 towel, and found it via Ebay in England, of all places. I had Dawn preview it before I bought it to make sure she thought it was doable, and then I waited for it to arrive from across the ocean. I sent it to Dawn who sent pictures back to me for approval with several fabric options. The finished product can be seen below...the photos don't do it justice...and once again I am just so impressed with the quality of the workmanship and presentation. Since the towel's design was a bit different, she cut out our anniversary month and put it on the back, as seen in the second photo, and made an oven mitt (not pictured) out of the rest of the months, just for fun! So, if you are looking for something unique and different to commemorate a special event, check out Vintage Hot Cakes on Etsy! You won't be disappointed!

(Note: I am not getting anything for promoting Dawn and her store...she doesn't even know I'm doing it...I just love her work!)

A New 'Do and New Posts

Late last week we took the little boys to get haircuts. Here is Nathaniel's result...

No more baby here! My little boy is growing up! In this picture you can see one of his favorite places...the kitchen cupboard! He gets into EVERYTHING!

On another note, check out our newest blog, Sophia's Blessing Quilt, for some new posts. Our first blessings are rolling in! Feel free to join the fun! Have a great week!

Christmas Photos #2 - For Rubins and Garcias in Chile

My sisters and their families are both currently living in Chile, South America. They sent gifts back to the States with my parents, after their recent visit to Chile. We enjoyed opening the gifts which were mostly handmade items by artisans at a neat little place called Pueblito Los Dominicos, an artisan village of sorts...one of my favorite places in the whole, wide world! Of course we wish we could have seen my sisters and their growing families in person! We love you and miss you!

This little hat says "Chile" on the front...it's the best photo we could muster, as Nathaniel kept tearing it off his head!

Benjamin loves his wooden alligator!

Jonathan is modeling his lapislazuli while Benjamin shows off his new Spanish children's CD.

And here's Sabastian with his necklace, hidden by Nathaniel and his CD!

And finally a photo of the photographer...I LOVE my new bracelet!

Thanks Rubins and Garcias...we love you and miss you!

Christmas Photos #1 - For Grandmom and Grandpop Fisher

I'm finally catching up on some long overdue posts regarding Christmas. This post is for Grandmom and Grandpop Fisher in Ohio...thanks for all of the goodies you sent us for Christmas. We missed seeing you, but hopefully we can connect soon! We love you!

Standing family joke...someone always gets rice for Christmas!

Grandmom made each of the boys their own special pillowcase...Bob the Builder for Nathaniel...

...and tigers for the Cincinnati Bengals fan!

Grandmom also made each of us a handmade ornament and the boys received savings bonds.

Here's Benjamin with his ornament and pillowcase!

Merry Christmas!

For Kathy

Here is the little snowman gift bag that I made at our Ladies' Bible Study last week. I actually sewed on a sewing machine and didn't break anything! Fortunately the "hat" part was already sewn for us...all we had to do was put the little man together. I think he turned out cute! My friend Kathy at Lizzie Jane loves snowmen, so this post is for her...and any other snowmen lovers out there!

A Favorite Blog

One of the blogs I love to check on a regular basis is Second Sister Suaviloquy. I found this blog through the Etsy shop Second Sister Jewelry, when I was searching for jewelry related to adoption. As it turns out, this family is waiting to adopt a daughter from China, too! Second Sister Suaviloquy is hosting a ten-day giveaway that you might want to check out. The fun starts on December 5...and check out the Etsy shop, too, for great jewelry at reasonable prices!