Project Life 2014

I first started Project Life when Isaac came home from Ethiopia.  I thought it would be a way to fully document his "first year." At least his first year with us.  It's kinda hard missing the first steps, but as a scrapbooker, there's this desire to document everything!

My first year was good, but very Isaac-centric. The second year has been going well, but I started realize to do it right I needed to prep the album ahead of time. So I thought I would share my prep.

I don't use the pocket folders for the final pictures, but instead to seperate and display the journaling cards.

Then I make 53 pages with paper inserted with each of the weeks documented. One for intro and conclusion and then the 52 weeks of the year.  As the year goes on, I will put the scraps into the appropriate week.  Also, I use Lightroom to import in the photos into data folders and then print the photos weekly(ish). Then I will put them in the appropriate week.

When I finalize each week I will look at my Facebook page and pull out the quotes and things going on and voila, we have it!

PAIR Process

Well...The latest news is confirmation that we will only make one trip for Iris.  This is a blessing in many ways, but while most are thinking financially, I'm thinking about attachment.  Going to meet your little loved one, moving them from all they know and love and the leaving them is not a great way to build attachment (IMHO). So, this is great news! We are encouraged that our dossier is on it's way for US authentication and then onto the Ethiopian Embassy this week!  And the financial benefit is awesome too!! God is good!

Drumroll Please....

Dossier is rolling on out today!!!!!  One step closer to baby girl!

Almost...But Not Quite

Certification Package was turned around in miraculous timing, but it was attached incorrectly.  Oh well, off to the UPS Store again! 

Water Works

The last 24 hours have been tough, but just now we found out a friend delivered little Iris the package we sent.  It was a long shot and she made it happen.  Thank you Carol!!!  The water works are flowing here. Thank you God for this win!!!

Point Zero

I called the FBI today to find out when we might get our letters saying we are normal citizens with clean fingers and I was a bit taken aback.  She LAUGHED at me.  Not because I said something funny (okay apparently she thought it was funny) but because apparently the FBI now has me flagged as tenacious.  Well, I could think of worse things.  Calling once a week is really not as much as I would like to.  Any how, she tells me we haven't even started it, we have only processed the payment.  So today, I feel like we are at Point Zero.  Funny story, God pointed me to a photo from the Cloister Sisters trip.  My interpretation, I've been here before and got beyond it, He's got this.

$2 Overpayment...Further Delay

They say it's all in the details.  Our fingerprints have been delayed because I sent a money order for $38 instead of $36.  The fax machine at the FBI is currently broken, but my fax machine is checking every 5 minutes.  Let's bring the little girl home!!!!

Loving Your Spouse

Before you leave on an international journey leaving your spouse with two kids when you are normally the primary caretaker, I highly reccomend leaving a gift reminding them why they are loved...52 Reasons I Love Kevin.

More good news!

Last time we were preparing our dossier, we had to send 19 documents to be state certified. Washington charges $15/document.  So tonight I found out we only need two documents state certified.  AWESOME!!!!

The Main Danger in Adoption

Paper cuts.  We are on #7 so far.

Team Hendrickson Recruits Another All Star!!!

When Kevin and I went to meet Isaac for the first time, we had to move him from rural Ethiopia into the capital city.  We went out to the Mati Child Development Center in Ziway, Ethiopia (one of the most beautiful places on Earth) and met some pretty amazing people.

One of those people was Iris, the girl who loved zippers and Velcro.  She was such a delight and just fell in love with Kevin.  When it came time to leave, she jumped in the van and was ready to go home with us.  She thought we were her family. (Insert sobbing here)

Since then, we have been praying for little Iris.  For her to be restored to her biological family, or for an adoptive family.  Every day.  I have her picture next to my work desk, Kevin has her picture in his wallet.

Long story short, Iris was right, we are her family.  Recent events have made it so we will be able to adopt her.  We only know the broad brushstrokes and we are still filling in the finer details, but if we seem distracted or extra busy, it's because we are trying to do what we did for Isaac's paperwork (that took six months) in 45 days.

This entire situation has been a miracle and we know God will help us through any bumps that we come across, and we believe that yet again, he has given us his call of Psalms 89:1 "Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute." 

More Book Lists

Thought I would share something I came across for those of us looking for summer book lists!  This is for kids of all ages.  Thank you to the Spokane County Public Libraries!

http://www.scld.org/kids.asp

10 Things You Should Do Everyday

If you've ever heard me go off on a rant, you've probably heard me at some point say how many things you are "supposed to do everyday" and how many there are.  I came up with my top 10 and I thought I would share!  What would you add?

1.Eat Breakfast

2.Brush Your Teeth

3.Pray-Connect with God

4.Hug Someone

5.Do something nice for someone else

6.Do something nice for yourself (compliments are free!)

7.Exercise

8.Go to bed on time

9.Read

10.Determine how today fits in the big picture 

Helping Others - The Best Part of Adoption

Summer is here and it's time to get those summer beach towels!!!

 One of the wonderful families we have met through Isaac's adoption is the Miles Family!  They are a wonderful family looking to add a young man to their family!  They have been matched and fundraising like crazy, but just found out they need a little more "dough" than expected.

So what do these things have to do with each other?

Fundraiser time!!! We are selling beach towels that can be customized! Any word or name up to 9 letters. These are super soft and you can pick your color!! These are great for children and adults! Gift them to others or yourself; you will love it! To top it off the sales from this product helps bring our son home as well as helps two other families adopt! It only costs $37 with shipping to help change a life forever. A great deal on a great product!



To order, please contact Megan at:   meganlovesryan@hotmail.com

Vacationing on a Budget Guide: Part I

Many, many, many people ask me how and why  I go on vacation so often, so I wanted to share some of the why's and then help those who want to vacation more get there.

A long time ago in a galaxy far away, I used to not take vacations.  At all.  Ever. Never. Ever. Well okay, that was is a little hyperbole, but I am naturally a homebody and am happy to just stick close to home.

But then a few things happened:

• I started working from home (aka WAH), (lots of time to be a homebody, pretty much 24/7),
• My company instituted a use or loose policy to our vacation time, 
• We bought a timeshare, and
• We had kids.

After all of these changes, I needed a break, but with working from home, my stay-cation model wasn't working.  I would not be able to take days off, end up getting called in to work (because I'm right there, right?), etc. etc.

And since many people think when you work from home, and you are female, you can do everything a SAHM (Stay at Home Mom) does in addition to your paid work, that work load doesn't decrease while on vacation either.  (For the record SAHM work is a full time plus a half time job, plus my full time paid job, minus 5 carry the 2 and I'm always working on something).

Having said this, I realized the need to recharge, but I had a very limited (non-existent) budget.  In spite of that, I took on the challenge and it's taken some time to get the equation just right, but here we go...Oh wait, let's add a pretty picture of a Lanai sunrise...

So, this might seem a little out of the ordinary, I'm going to ask you to answer a few questions and then I will post the answers to all of your vacation planning.  Please keep in mind I am a consultant, which means I ask lots of questions and analyze before I have an answer. :)

• What kind of time to you re-energize from?  A big group of people, family time, girl time, or being alone?
• What types of scenery to you connect with the most?  The woods, the lake, the ocean, the city?
• How long can you be away from your job at a time? (SAHMs - This means, how long can your family survive without you and you survive without your family?)
• How far in advance can you plan? (1 year, one month, one week?)
• What is your budget? (Don't say a little, be specific, even if specific is zero)

I will answer my own questions here:

• What kind of time to you re-energize from? Quite time, one-on-one or less, or the ability to get lost in a crowd.  No accountability for time, calories or exercise.
• What types of scenery to you connect with the most? The ocean, where it is warm
• How long can you be away from your job at a time?1 week if planned in 3-12 months advance, 1 day if not
• How far in advance can you plan?  8 months to a year, but can be less depending on workload
• What is your budget? $500-1500 (annual)

Write down your answers and stay tuned...

Adoption TMI Defined

When you share something with someone that doesn't quite understand the term or situation related to an adoption and then they use it later in a way they don't know is derogatory or inappropriate.

This is why when people ask about Isaac's story we don't tell much. It's Isaac's story and when he's old enough and if he wants to he will share it. Our social worker gave us this advice and I will be forever grateful for it.

Easter Boys

Two happy Easter boys climbing our tree out front!

Playtime for Isaac

Sometimes playing cars is the only way I can talk to Isaac about his feelings. Anyone else's cars have feelings?

Post Op Care for Daddy

Daddy had surgery this week and getting ready resulted in a lot of Google searches without any checklists. And since I love my checklists, I thought I would share.

I have found that a care package for post op care is a great gift, and for the most part, it's stuff you already have!

• Tylenol (no aspirin or Ibuprofen),
• Ice Packs with thin towel (put them in the fridge),
• Chapstick,
• Water bottle for ride home,
• Barf bag for ride home,
• Magazines for the waiting room,
• Slippers,
• Heat pad or heat packs,
• Jello,
• Pudding,
• Chicken Noodle Soup,
• Phone List,
• WebMD info on the procedure (may include some other ideas to include)
• Grocery shopping and/or prepped meals for the rest of the family

So whether it is you or someone else, here's my list to being prepared or post op recovery.

Blessings.

The Little Things

I may never be able to remember the day Isaac was born, but I will always remember the day his US Visa was issued! What a great day that was! Yesterday I found his passport when I was sorting scrapbook memorabilia and it made me smile!

Look What I Found Today

In working on our taxes, I found our most recent wills. It's always a good thing to keep your will updated, finishing your taxes, then reviewing & updating it every year is a good way to remember. Thought I would share.

Scrapbooking Checklist

The more years I have been scrapbooking, the more I have realized that it's not about what tools you have as much as it is about the ways you share your memories.  I have one, no make that ten of everything. and my scrapbooks may be fancier today than they were 15 years ago, but I'm pretty sure the memories are archived just the same. Archiving your memories is the important part.  And well, having fun. :)

So I thought I would put together a list of the supplies I find helpful to scrapbook.

• Photos
• Memorabilia - tickets from the play, movie, train, airplane, national park, museum, certificates, awards, if it's part of the memory, save it and bring it along.
• Paper trimmer.  I prefer Fiskars Compact trimmer because it's compact and it cuts 12 x 12 paper.  I can use this in an airport, without a table and probably underwater, though I haven't tried.
• Cardstock
• Patterned Paper
• Black Archival Pen
• Pencil with eraser
• Adhesive - A TON (someday I will post about my adhesive issues)
• Scissors
• Embellishments - Stickers, flowers, ribbon, buttons, glitter, etc.
• Printed Materials (Typed Journaling, notes from internet, tags, freebies, etc.)
• A plan

So as a project manager, the last item is probably my hang up, but I find that if I have an idea on what I want to end up with, then I am much more successful with scrapbooking.

There are some added tools that can be fun to add to the "more than basic" kit.  I would recommend sharing with others for these items specially if you are just starting out.  From there you can pick your favorites and purchase the items you like without guilt.

• Punches
• Stamps and Stamp Pads
• Paints (Sprays, Acryclic, Watercolors, etc)
• Pens
• Die cutters (do not buy these without trying several kinds first.  You want to get the one that will work best for you, not the one you saw on a commercial or show.  Trust me on this one)

 Funny story, I pretty much have it all.  Yes, way too much of everything, so right now I am on a scrapbooking supply diet.  I only buy what I:

1. Have a plan for, and
2. Am currently working on that plan.  

Laugh at me if you will, but if you see my scrapbook hoard, you will know why.


I hope this helps some others to start scrapbooking or maybe just prep for a crop.

Blessings!

Great Kindergarten Reading

Last week I asked on Facebook what some good non-scary books to read to your kids (novels) would be good to read to Dane...I wanted to archive this and share, so here you go!

• Harry Potter
• The Never Ending Story
• Diary of a Whimpy Kid
• Ronald Dahl Books (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, etc.)
• The Giver
• The Indian and the Cupboard
• The Sideways Stories from the Wayside School
• Mouse in the Motorcycle
• Beverly Cleary Books
• The Narnia Chronicles
• Where the Sidewalk Ends
• Nate the Great
• Flat Stanley
• The Velveteen Rabbit
• Junie B. Jones
• Lafcadio
• Mrs Pigglewiggle
• The Little House on the Prairie Books
• Dick King Smith Books
• Skippy John Jones Book
• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

 One person left an awesome link I wanted to share too!
http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2010/04/13/the-top-100-childrens-novels-poll-1-100/

I hope you find this helpful!!!