dear baby girl {letters from the heart}

Dear baby girl,

We are still anxiously awaiting the day we will get to fly on a plane to meet you.  Everyday we get just a little bit closer.

Today your daddy and I went to the doctor for a general check up and blood tests, which is one of our final requirements for our paperwork.  Typically your mama is not a fan of needles or blood work... but today, I didn't flinch.  Your sweet little face is quite the motivator.

The doctor we visited today was completely new to us.  Up until now, we really haven't had a primary physician in Louisville.  We didn't know a thing about him, except that he was less than a mile from the house and could schedule our appointment within a week of calling.  We arrived at the doctor's office only to find out that Dr. Gray travels to Uganda every.single.year.  I know, right?  He goes with his church once a year for medical missions and to help with other various needs.  I found myself almost in tears this morning as I showed your photo to some of the nurses and front desk girls.  They ooooed and ahhhhed over your cuteness (as everyone does) and my heart almost burst with joy.  I love how God continues to remind me time and time again that He has planned our little family long before we did.

Your daddy and I still talk about you endlessly everyday.  We often stay up late into the night talking about what we think you will be like as we share our prayers and dreams for you.  We talk about learning to do your hair... how spoiled you will be by your grandparents... how we can't wait to snuggle with you on the couch... how your mama will need to learn how to cook... how adorable you're going to be in footed pajamas... We have even decided on your name.  I think it fits you well.  It's beautiful and strong... just as you are.

I love you sweet girl... hurry home.

xoxo,

mama

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) New blooms.  Last year my awesome next door neighbor gave me some peace lily (I think?) clippings from her own garden and I continue to be amazed at their survival skills.  I thought surely I killed them last year because I waited entirely too long to plant them.  Then this year I was convinced they were goners, when our chickens completely devoured them... yep- ate them down to nubs.  So, I skeptically moved them to a spot on the front porch and attempted to water them back to life.  And just look!  Lo' and behold... the most beautiful bloom you ever did see:)

2) Scanner guns.  This weekend I created a baby registry.  Yes.  A BABY REGISTRY.  I sometimes still struggle to believe this whole adoption journey is real, and that our sweet baby girl could likely be here before the holidays.  This is both completely crazy to me... and completely exhilarating.  Registering is one of those things that pulls you into reality.  It was so overwhelming, but thankfully some good friends of mine came along to help.  But wow... I mean, who knew there were so many different kinds of sippy cups?

3) Painted skies.  We have had incredibly crazy weather here in Louisville lately.  Tons of rain... like the really hard, torrential summer downpours that last like 30 minutes, but seem to happen every.single.day.  But I can't complain when the result is a gorgeous painted sky.  So thankful we have such a creative God!

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

I may be linking up with any of these fellow Thankful ladies:

The Fontenot Four

First Day of My Life
There's Just One Mommy

Lovely Little Whimsy

top ten :: things you should buy from our etsy shop

This is an incredibly shameless plug of a post.  The entire plan being that you will see all of this amazingly awesome stuff and head directly over to the Etsy shop and purchase everything.

Absolutely everything.  

We have lots of handmade jewelry posted... and then my incredibly talented father has posted some of his gorgeous woodwork as well.  You'll find beaded necklaces, earrings, bracelets with meaning, one-of-a-kind wooden bowls, incredibly cool writing pens, and much, much more.

But the best part??

Every single penny goes to towards bringing home our sweet baby girl.  For any of you that have adopted or know a family that has gone through the adoption process know how insanely expensive the adoption journey can be.

Therefore... the shop.  

So, without further adieu... here are the top 10 things from our Etsy shop that you should go check out... (and then immediately put in your shopping cart:)

1) Princess Agatha Fire Agate Earrings ($20.00)

These earrings combine stunning fire agate stones with swarovski crystals... and look amazing with the Princess Agatha necklace.

2) Color Explosion Texas Live Oak Wood Bowl ($79.99)

This is one of my favorite bowls that my dad has made... I love how the dyed wood resembles the deep blue of the ocean.

3) Red & Black Beaded Bracelet ($58.00)

This simple beaded bracelet makes a bold statement.  The cut of the red and black stones catches the light just right and creates the perfect amount of sparkle.

4) Napa Valley Wine Cork Keychain Pill Holder ($39.99)

How cool is this?  What seems to be an unassuming key chain actually unscrews to reveal a small compartment that is the perfect size for your daily pills, or emergency advil.  Brilliant.

5) Cord of Three Bracelet Set ($32.00)

This set is probably my all-time personal favorite of jewelry that I've created.  The set includes a small card that has the scripture verse Ecclesiastes 4:12 (Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves, but a cord of three strands is not easily broken.)  I have always loved this verse and how it reminds me to keep God in the center of all my relationships.  And there are matching earrings!

6) Texas Honey Mesquite Hand-Turned Vase ($89.99)

This gorgeous piece boasts a genuine turquoise inlay that adds just the right amount of detail.  This vase would look amazing on your coffee table or office desk.

7) Gold & Green Paige Necklace ($72.00)

The color combination on this necklace makes a powerful statement.  The natural green stones bring the perfect balance to all of the gold and sparkle.  Looks great paired with the Paige Trio Earrings. 

8) 30 Caliber Bolt Action Pen with Redwood Burl ($52.99)

My dad makes a ton of cool pens, but this one is one of my favorites.  It has an "artillery-type" release and a riffle pen clip that makes this the perfect gift for any hunters on your list.

9) Life of Christ Story Bracelet ($32.00)

This colorful bracelet tells the story of Christ... each bead and stone represents a different portion of Jesus' life and death.  The three larger stones represent the 3 Wise Men and come in green, blue or pink.

10) Maple Bowl Natural & Hand Painted Marble Effects ($110.00)

This gorgeous bowl was featured in the 2012 Woodworkers International Calendar.  Yeah... my dad is pretty dang awesome.  The underside and the rim of this bowl were hand-painted to create the effect of granite or marble.  Love this piece.

So.  There you have it.  My top 10 recommendations for what you should be buying in our Etsy shop:) A big, big THANK YOU to all who have already purchased!!  Every item brings us closer to bringing our sweet baby girl home from Uganda.

You can also make tax-deductible donations through Helping Hands.  Simply select "ADOPTION" as your project category, then choose "BLACK, LANCE and JULIA" as your project. 

It would also be totally rad if you would share this info on your own blog (facebook, instagram, twitter... or whatever your social media of choice is:)  

Linking up with Many Little Blessings today!!

she is the bomb.

Meet my sister.

Aka, the machine... aka, the boss... aka, paperwork nazi... aka, my superhero... aka, rockstar... aka, list master... aka, bad ass... aka, the bomb...

Or you can call her Jenna:)

I seriously don't know what I would do without her.  Last weekend she made an emergency trip to Louisville, just to make sure I kept my sanity.  I was feeling a little (okay, a lot) overwhelmed by our adoption to-do list.  I honestly had no idea how we would get everything done amidst the chaos that is real life.

So... in comes Jenna.

She seriously has a special gifting.  She flew in super late Friday night and stayed until Tuesday afternoon.  What she was able to do in 4 days would have taken me 4 weeks.

In 4 days... she completely took over my Etsy shop... finished posting all of my jewelry... took me to get my fingerprints done (again)... helped us fill out 2 loan applications... filled out 1 grant application... found us a primary care doctor... booked our doctor appointments... sent emails on my behalf... prepped any Etsy orders that came in... updated my blog... ordered adoption announcements... helped prepare dossier paperwork... the list could seriously go on and on.

She is the bomb.

Really.  

I love you Jenna-benna... thank you for ALL you do.  PS... don't forget your cape.

embracing july {monthly goals}

{image source}

It's so crazy to think that just barely a month ago, sweet baby girl wasn't even on our radar.  In last month's goal post I even talked about "the closer we get to receiving our adoption referral..." 

...but never in a million years did I think that just two days later we would receive that very phone call!!! God's timing is so perfect.  June's goals were created with me and Lance in mind... our little family of two.  But now, July's goals are created with a sweet baby girl in mind... our little family of three:)

mail in // our dossier.

The dossier is the big sha-bang as far as paperwork is concerned.  It's the mac-daddy of adoption papers.  Basically the dossier is a big compilation of a bunch of really important paperwork that gets mailed over to your adoption country... in our case Uganda.  The dossier has to be received in order for any travel dates or court schedules to even be considered.  So obviously, the dossier is a pretty big deal.  We still have a doctor appointment to schedule, a few dozen documents to be notarized, and another round of fingerprints to schedule.  One step at a time... 

make // my lunch.
If I'm honest, I've been making my lunch about once a week... twice if I'm feeling crazy.  I would really love to be on a 3-day-brown-bag schedule.  If I actually go grocery shopping, these lunch days end up being some of my favorite for the week... and I save money... it's a win-win.

maximize // my time.

I've been feeling pretty spread thin lately... between work, adoption stuff, and editing photos, there hasn't been much time for anything else.  And I often wonder how in the world we will get it all done... and I still don't know.  BUT... I do know that the Lord never gives us more than we can handle.  So, in the meantime, I'm taking deep breaths and remembering to trust Him with my time.

memorize // scripture.

I'm not that great at scripture memory.  Okay, okay... I'm terrible at it.  But that's mostly because I don't take the time to memorize it.  This month I want to memorize just one verse.  Just one.  That's it.  Will you join me?  Just one verse... your choice.

What about you?  What are you focusing on this month?

In case you're interested... or super bored at work... here are my previous monthly goals: January, February, March, April, May, and June.

you should probably be shopping...

We've updated the Etsy shop...  and items are moving quickly!!  And every single penny goes straight to bringing our sweet baby girl home!!

Now go.  Go shop your little heart out.

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Shop progress.  In an effort to raise some funds for our adoption fees I am selling some fun items in my Etsy shop!!  I have some jewelry listed (all handmade by me)... as well as some of the badass woodwork that my dad has been doing.  He has some gorgeous bowls listed and some really cool writing pens.  Please take a look and spread the word... ALL shop proceeds go directly towards bringing home sweet baby girl!!!

2) Little Cat.  I am so thankful that my Little Cat is home.  I didn't realize quite how much I would miss him if he were gone.  Our house just isn't the same without him.

3) My sister... who just happens to be flying into Louisville TOMORROW night!!!  This was a very unscheduled-emergency-sister-visit...  My parents got a good deal and booked her a last-minute flight after I called my mom mid-panic attack on Tuesday.  I've been a tad overwhelmed with all that we have to do in regards to tidying up our adoption stuff.  It will be nice to have my sister in town for a few days to help me stay on track and hopefully not have a melt down.  Annnnnndddd... we might just paint baby girl's room this weekend:)

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

I may be linking up with any of these fellow Thankful ladies:

The Fontenot Four

First Day of My Life
There's Just One Mommy

Lovely Little Whimsy

antique love {mail sorter obsession}

My new office is in this little town in southern Indiana... It's a town that's full of fast food restaurants and about a gabillion antique stores.  No lie.  Lucky for me, I've never met an antique store I didn't like. So, I thought it might be fun to do a little treasure hunt post every now and again... you know, so I can show off my mad antique-hunting skills.  Here's treasure number one...

I'm kind of obsessed with this adorable little mail sorter.  I love everything about it... the yellowed labels... the size of the mail slots... and THAT COLOR.

Love.Love.Love.  

I also loved that I didn't have to do a single darn thing to it.  No painting, no crafting, no repairing... etc.  I found it in a little antique store by my office and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it the moment I laid eyes on it.  So, in the car it went...

The little mail slots were the perfect size for all of my miscellaneous scrapbook supplies... stickers, washi tape, adhesive, ink pads, and all of those Project Life cards.  My new find sits perfectly on the end of my desk, and I was able to fill it up pretty quickly:)

I've thought about using some little vintage numbers to add some detail to each of the slots, but I'm in no rush.  For now I'm completely content with the yellowing labels that are already there:)   I love everything about this piece... so adorable, no??

Are you a fellow antique-lover?  Have you found any vintage treasures lately?

weekend festivities

This weekend...

...Litte Cat went missing... 

It was catastrophic.  Thursday morning Little Cat went MIA... I didn't start freaking out until Saturday... which is also when I made these fancy signs.

...we ate our first egg sandwich...

With our very own fresh backyard eggs.  And they were delicious.  You really can tell a difference, swear.

...on Saturday Little Cat was still missing...

 And this was about when I started losing it.  I went to the animal shelter Saturday morning... BIG MISTAKE.  If you ever just need a really good cry, go to your local animal shelter.

...I played an intense game of Mexican Train...

Yep, our dinner parties consist of dominos, wine and baby monitors.  Don't be fooled, people were dancing on the table right after this picture.  I kid, I kid.

...yet another friend moved away...

Our dear friends Bekah and Andrew packed their bags and left for NYC this weekend.  We celebrated with good food, lots of laughing, snow cones, and mexican train.  It was bittersweet.  You will be missed B.

...Little Cat came home...

YAY!!!  LC made his way home late Saturday night... you know, right after I put up all of our signs... He came inside and ran straight to his food and water and seemed pretty hot.  We think he might have been trapped in someone's garage or something.  Regardless, we are SO GLAD he is home.

...I busted out the spray paint...

I forgot how much I love spray painting projects... such instant gratification.  More on this project later though:)

What about you??  Anything exciting this weekend??

etsy shop open for business!!

 

It's been a loooooong time since I've listed anything on my old Black Tag Studio Etsy website... but all that is about to change!  Slowly but surely, jewelry is going up in the shop!  Everything is handmade by me.  All shop sales will go directly to our adoption fees... and trust me, there are plenty of them...

Please take some time to visit the shop and look around.  Be sure to keep checking in, as I will be adding several more items throughout the coming weeks!!