One Year Ago...

One year ago today, we were in Ethiopia meeting this little cutie:

It was one of the best moments of my life! I can't believe it's already been a year since we've known her. At the same time, it feels like we've known her forever! 

How far she's come since that week! She's getting to be such a big girl. 

We are so blessed to have her in our lives!

My Social Media Fast: What I've Learned

Easter has come and gone, and so has the end of my social media blackout for Lent. At the beginning of this season, I gave up checking Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. It was a great experience for me, and I learned several things about managing my time and how my mind works.

Fasting is a discipline- and I'm not very disciplined.  It was so difficult not to click on my social media apps "just to check". A one-second log in to check private messages turned into 10 minutes of scrolling through status updates. Thankfully, The Lord knows my weaknesses and always shows mercy! This was such an eye-opener as to how much further I need to go in the aspect of spiritual disciplines.

Social Media can inhibit creativity and critical thinking.  There have been numerous studies on this very topic, but I didn't realize how true it was until I stepped back. Like many people, my mind is usually very busy- it's sometimes hard to organize my thoughts and I tend to use social media to "turn off my brain". When I cut back on browsing the sites I normally visit to get a mental break, I found that I was more likely to finish a project, research a topic that interested me, or read a few chapters of a book. I'm not saying I'm going to cut it out completely, but I am more aware of how I can use my time better to balance social media with other creative and intellectual outlets.

The world goes on without you.  I think I may have fallen into the category of "over-sharing parent". I was always trying to get Hewan to sit still for an Instagram, or letting the world know what we were doing that day. I don't know why, but there was this underlying pressure for me to keep up with all the spinning plates of social media. And guess what? When I stopped all the plates, the world kept spinning. Don't get me wrong- I love to read my friends' status updates and see pictures of their beautiful families- but I think the amount of my posts is going to decrease significantly.

Overall, I think the big lesson I learned is that social media can be a blessing and a curse. It all depends on how you use it! The Lord used this Lenten season as a very special time to speak to me. I can't really describe what he's done in my heart for the past 40 days, and I may never be able to describe it, but it's brought me closer to Him and that's the most important thing. I hope you all had a Happy Easter!

We Call This Friday Good

Excerpt from "East Coker", from Four Quarters by T.S. Eliot

The wounded surgeon plies the steel
That questions the distempered part
Beneath the bleeding hands we feel
The sharp compassion of the healer’s art
Resolving the enigma of the fever chart.

Our only health is the disease
If we obey the dying nurse
Whose constant care is not to please
But to remind of our, and Adam’s curse,
And that, to be restored, our sickness must grow worse.

The whole earth is our hospital
Endowed by the ruined millionaire,
Wherein, if we do well, we shall
Die of the absolute paternal care
That will not leave us, but prevents us everywhere.

The chill ascends from feet to knees,
The fever sings in mental wires.
If to be warmed, then I must freeze
And quake in frigid purgatorial fires
Of which the flame is roses, and the smoke is briars.

The dripping blood our only drink,
The bloody flesh our only food:
In spite of which we like to think
That we are sound, substantial flesh and blood—
Again, in spite of that, we call this Friday good.

My Netflix Picks

I'm not going to lie, we watch a lot of Netflix in this house. A few years ago, we cancelled cable for good and never looked back! We survived in our old apartment with the basic channels, but we pick up one lonely channel in our house now, so we were gifted a Netflix streaming subscription and we love it!

Here are a few of my current Netflix favorites if you're looking for some new content to check out!

Sherlock -  The BBC's modern-day version of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic stories. It's set up in 90-minute episode format, so there are only six episodes, but season three started filming this week (eeee!!!). The writers, Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss (who happen to write my other favorite show, Doctor Who), incorporate Doyle's stories with modern twists in a fantastic way. And the acting is the BEST.

National Geographic: Inside the Vatican- This documentary was released a while ago (during John Paul II's papacy), but seeing as not much changes in the Vatican, it is still a relevant look at what goes on somewhat behind the scenes. Very timely considering the recent election of Pope Francis!

ESPN: 30 for 30- I will admit, I'm not a big sports fan. So when Chris suggested this series of sports documentaries I was less than enthused. But I have been totally impressed! The subject matter is excellent and most of the films are very well made. I would suggest Ghosts of Ole Miss and The Announcement (about Magic Johnson's HIV diagnosis). Chris really enjoyed You Don't Know Bo (Bo Jackson that is) and June 17, 1994 which is a footage-only film about OJ Simpson.

House of Cards- This is a Netflix Original series, although it is based on a British series of the same name. Chris and I loved this- Netflix put the entire season on at once so we could burn through it in record time. It's not for everyone, and definitely not for the kiddos, but it is a very intriguing story and the character development is very well done. Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright Penn get two thumbs up from both of us.

Yo Gabba Gabba- I know I will get some nay-sayers on this one, but this is seriously the ONLY children's show that I can actually stand to watch. It also happens to be Hewan's favorite. She does seem to learn from it though, so I don't feel too bad letting her watch. It's fun and engaging for kids, and the celebrity guests and music segments are geared as much for the parents as it is for the kids. Musical guests include MGMT, The Shins, Shiny Toy Guns, and The Roots. My favorite episode at the moment is "Clean"! Now if Netflix would only get season three so we don't have to watch the same ones over and over again!

Do you have Netflix? What are your favorites?

Castle Peeps Plus Quilt

The Castle Peeps Plus Quilt is finished! Finally!!

I started this quilt back in August of 2011 when we decided to change our adoption parameters to include older kids. I was certain we would be bringing home a 2 or 3 year old boy, but I wanted to make a quilt that could be gender neutral just in case.

I think if Lizzy House ever came over, she would think I was obsessed with her. I used her Outfoxed line to decorate Hewan's nursery and to make my first baby quilt, and I cannot be more pleased with her Castle Peeps line as well. So fun!

This was my first quilt (even though I finished two others before I finally completed this one!) I used this tutorial and pretty much followed it to a T. I didn't want to improvise too much because I had no idea what I was doing! I am so happy with the result. It is machine pieced and completely hand quilted. I definitely learned a few things along the way: 

1. Dont assume your machine is set to 1/4" seam allowances! When I was learning to sew, my mom's machine automatically lined up for 1/4". But little did I know that not every machine does that, and I ended up using 1/2" seam allowances when piecing the top. My quilt ended up being much smaller than it should have been, measuring 65"x 55". It's still a good sized throw quilt, but I hate that I lost so much fabric with those darned seam allowances!

2. Hand quilting takes practice! When you quilt, you always want to start in the middle of your quilt so that the fabric doesn't pucker and shift. For this reason, the stitches in the middle of my quilt are a bit wonky compared to the more even-looking stitches as I went further and further out. This quilt is definitely a testament to my progress, haha!

3. The right materials are essential. I learned that while some more experienced hand-quilters prefer a small, thin needle, it was too difficult for me to maneuver and I was more comfortable with a larger size. I also learned that the batting I use for machine quilts (Warm and Natural) is not ideal for hand quilting, which is why some of my stitches are uneven or don't show in the back of the quilt. I also learned not to skimp on fabric- to save a few bucks I originally bought a cheap broadcloth for the binding, thinking it was such a small area that it wouldn't really matter. But as I started to sew and iron with it, I could really tell that you get what you pay for. I ended up heading back to the store for some Kona cotton.

The back in all it's quilty goodness... love those crinkles!

So there you have it, my first (but really third) quilt! I love it and I hope it becomes a little treasure in our home that we can enjoy for years!

Referralversary!

It's hard to believe that a year ago today, we saw this sweet face for the first time!

It's strange to remember first seeing this picture- not knowing her personality or if she would even like us, but loving her so much I wanted to jump on a plane that instant and bring her home.

I had no idea how much my life would change. How much I could love someone I'd never met. How much heartache comes with the joy of adoption. I could never have guessed how much laughter and happiness she would bring to our home. But I can't imagine my life without her!

We love you, baby girl!

You can read about our call here:

It's a GIRL!

The Call

The Last Step!

Our adoption was finalized in Ethiopia last year, but we still had to officially "re-adopt" Hewan in the state of Tennessee to complete the process. We've been working with our lawyer for a while and expected to go to court sometime in April.

But on Monday night, we got a surprise email saying the judge had an opening on the docket for the next day! So on Tuesday morning, we had the honor of going before a judge and repeating what we said in Ethiopia: That we are aware this adoption is full and final, and that we wish to have Hewan in our family forever.

It was a great experience and I'm so glad we got to participate in this little ceremony. The judge was so friendly. He said adoptions are one of his favorite parts of his job, and he just loved Hewie.

So that's it! We are officially DONE with the adoption process! But while all the paperwork and legal things are completed, I have learned that adoption is a lifelong process, and we are always working to help Hewan feel safe, secure, and loved. But it was wonderful to have this little moment to signify the official end of the process!

Oh, and did you notice that my blog got a makeover? I cannot recommend my friend Leigh at The Crazy Cocoon enough for her blog design! She listened to exactly what I wanted and gave me several different designs to choose from. If you are in need of a new look for your blog, let Leigh work her magic and you won't be disappointed!