December Edition of Literary Junkies

First of all, I hope you'll head over to my friend, Erin's blog where I'm guest posting for her Testimony Tuesday. I'm sharing how God is working in my life through adoption.

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1. If you could write a book, what would it be about?
If I were to ever write a book, I'd want it to be a historical fiction. That is one of my favorite genres. Of course, the problem with writing historical fiction is that you'd have to do a lot of research so that your facts are correct. I'd want it to take place in either ancient Roman times because that time fascinates me or on the Titanic because I'm slightly obsessed. It would definitely be a romance.


2. If you had to read one book or trilogy for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My answer for these types of questions are always the same-Harry Potter (which is neither a single book or trilogy, but it's still my answer). I read that series about every year and a half to every other year. I always get swept up in the story even though I've read it many times. I still laugh out loud at certain parts or cry uncontrollably in others. It never gets old. 




3. Who is your current favorite book character and why?
I loved the character Auggie Pullman in Wonder. He was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to school until middle school. We all know how "fun" middle school is. He faces bullying and difficulty fitting in and people treating him differently. All he wants is to be treated like everyone else. I loved his bravery and how he rose above his circumstances. It was a very inspiring story and it's one I think every preteen/teenager and adult should read.


4. Is there a book you read every year during the holiday season? If so, what is it and why?
Um...no. Unless you count How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I love that story!

5. Do you have any books on your Christmas list? Name a few.
I don't. As much as I love reading, I don't buy a lot of books. There's a perfectly good library where I can get them for free! Free is my favorite. I only buy my favorite books or books I think I'll read again. I think I may have asked for an Amazon gift card which I may use for future ebook purchases.

6. What is a book you read and loved that you didn't expect to?
Um...I really don't read books if I don't expect to like them. I have read a few books that I thought would be cheesy and just fun, but ended up enjoying them more than I thought. One that I read this year and enjoyed more than expected was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I really don't know why I enjoyed this one as much as I did. I also read a book called Warrior by Joanne Wadsworth that I didn't expect to like as much because I hadn't really enjoyed the first book in the series.

**I hope you'll come back tomorrow when I share my top 5 favorite books that I read this year.** 

How would you answer these questions? Are you linking up?

Ornaments for Adoption: Transracial Adoption

Wow! Have I been busy lately! Work is consuming my life! I have been going nonstop. I haven't had time for my blog. I haven't had time to read blogs. I haven't had time to just sit and relax. I'm not a go-go-go person. I need down time. I need "me" time. So, I've been a little stressed and overwhelmed lately. I have 3 weeks until I track out, though, so I just have to keep pushing through.

On top of all my work and personal life stuff, ornaments orders have been rolling in. Of course, this is great and I'm thrilled to be raising more money for the Thigpen's adoption, but please be patient as I'm a little backed up on orders right now.

This week's prize giveaway is coming from me. One lucky ornament purchaser will win this adorable "Santa" door hanger and a smaller snowman door hanger-just in time for putting up that Christmas decor. 

Today, I'm excited to have a guest post from Elizabeth from Waltzing in Galoshes. I stumbled upon her blog and agree with her that her son is ADORABLE. I hope you enjoy what she has to share about adoption.

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I'm Elizabeth and I'm so honored that Megan asked me to share a bit of our adoption story! My husband, David, and I adopted our 18 month old son and were blessed to have brought him home from the hospital with us when he was just 2 days old.  He is a constant joy and we are eternally grateful for the gift that he is to us even when we are sleep deprived and exhausted. :-) If you want to read more about our story, what led us to adoption and his birth and adoption stories, please head over to my blog, Waltzing in Galoshes. 

Megan also asked that I write about our experience with transracial adoption. You see, both my husband and I are white and our son is mixed race. He is mostly African American, but also part Arabic and part Caucasian. The blending of his ancestries gives him the most gorgeous skin and hair and we’re convinced that he’s best looking child there ever was (although I guess we might be kind of partial). 

From the time we started the adoption process we were very open to being a transracial family. We knew the sad truth that children with dark skin are often harder to place in adoptive families. Not only did this break our hearts, but it confirmed for us that we would welcome a child into our family no matter what the color of his/her skin color. But, with it there was a lot of fear. Not fear that I would love my child any less or that our family pictures would look different than others’, but fear for our son. I often wonder, “Will he be glad he grew up in our family? With parents that look so different from him?”.

At 18 months we don’t know the answer to this and won’t for a long time. We know he’s glad to be in our family right now because he gives us lots of hugs and kisses! He’s very well attached to both of us as his parents and to his grandparents, aunts and uncles too. But, I think these fears and concerns are real, and in order to be open to a transracial adoption we had to be open to these new realities it would bring into our life.

We knew we would have to be open about talking about race and creating a family environment where differences are celebrated. Recent research shows that being “color blind” actually creates more stereotypes and racism than openly discussing race with honesty and love. So, we already talk with our sweet son about his beautiful skin and that it’s different than ours because he grew in his birthmother’s tummy and not in mommy’s. We know he doesn’t understand this all now, but we’re building a foundation, as we never want to have “THE” conversation about his race or adoption story. Instead we want there to be an on-going conversation about our differences, similarities and our love and appreciation for all of it.

I also fear that as my son grows people will make assumptions about him. Especially following the Trayvon Martin case I began to fear if people would assume my son was “up to no good” just based on his skin color. How can I teach him to be confident in his skin when many in our society make horrible judgments when they see a black man? Right now everyone we meet tells us how adorable and sweet he is, but I wonder when there might come a day when people will look at us with more questions and watch him more carefully when he’s in a store to be sure he doesn’t shoplift. You may think I’m just sounding negative, but unfortunately, racism is still very common, and although I may have lived the first 28 years of my life in (mostly) blissful ignorance, these are the realities that our son will face as he grows up.

As parents we all have the responsibility to teach our children that they are special, loved, wanted, beautiful and created by God for a specific purpose! But, in addition we now have the added responsibility to make our son aware of stereotypes or judgments people may have of him and that he must believe he is who GOD tells him he is and not what the world tells him he may be. We also need to be sure there are people in his life that look like him and that give him these same messages. We are blessed to have several members of his birthfamily who are a part of his life and are able to instill these beliefs in him as well.

Right now our current struggle is living in a very white community. We love our neighbors and friends, but we don’t want him to feel different in his family and when he goes to school and church. We know we definitely want to adopt transracially again not only because we want more children, but also because we want our son to have a sibling that looks a little more like him than we do. We also want to raise him in a community where differences are common and celebrated! Finding this community may be quite a difficult task, but we are up to the challenge for the sake of our son and future children! We may not be putting our house on the market this winter, but this idea is certainly in the back of our minds as he grows up.

Even though adoption is a gift, we can’t forget that it can only be a picture of redemption because it starts with grief and loss. In a perfect world everyone who wants to have children does and all children stay in birthfamilies that are happy and healthy. But unfortunately, in this world there is brokenness, sadness, grief and loss. Our son bears the loss of not being raised by the parents that gave him life, and we struggled through the losses of infertility. His birthparents have the grief of not raising their son.

But, Jesus is the Great Redeemer! He brings redemption and grace from all of our stories of loss and breathes life into them. We are parents to an amazing son, he is being raised by parents who smother him with love, and his birthparents are able to stay in communication with him through the gift of an open adoption. We love this sweet boy more than we ever imagined we would love a child we conceived ourselves. We are reminded every day that he truly fits in our family when we spend an evening together and he “plays” the piano while singing along just like his dad. Or when he throws back his head and giggles uncontrollably just like I do.

Life brings with it a lot of loss, but adoption is a picture of God’s redemption. And no matter what obstacles raising a child of another race brings we are grateful for them because we have been given these obstacles as part of the greater blessing of being his parents! Even though we will have challenges due to the fact that we are a transracial family, it doesn’t make him any less our son just as we are all one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). Praise God that through his Holy Spirit WE have received our own adoption to sonship in Christ (Romans 8:15) and that he has allowed us to see just small picture of that through the adoption of our precious son.

 

Ornaments for Adoption: Hosting Orphans

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It's week 6 of Ornaments for Adoption which means we're in the second half of this fundraiser. Things have really picked up. Thank you all for your orders and helping spread the word. 

On a side note, please keep last year's OFA family in your thoughts and prayers. They are going through a rough time.  

A few weeks ago, I was browsing on Pinterest and came across a family's adoption blog. As I was reading some of the posts on this blog, I read the story of some friends of theirs who had hosted an orphan from Ukraine. I had never heard of hosting orphans before, so I messaged Ally about writing a guest post for OFA. I hope you are as touched by their story as I was.

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This past summer we were provided with an unexpected and last minute (3 weeks before he arrived) opportunity from God to host a 15 year old orphan from the Ukraine for 5 weeks over the summer.  This program allows orphans to come and spend time with a family in America and provide them with hope and inspiration to what they can have one day as well.  In the Ukraine children age out of the orphanage usually by the time they are 16 and are sent out on their own, with the majority of them turning to drugs, gangs, and prostitution.  The children that participate in programs such as these are much more likely to go on to attend school, find a job, and have a family one day of their own.   

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Our family was in the middle of the adoption process for the DRC and we did not think we would be able to participate in this amazing program because cost and our growing costs for our current adoption, however the child we wanted to host obtained a sponsor from here in San Diego that helped a great deal with the funding, making us able to provide him with a family to stay with. 

 

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I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed by the mental preparation of having a 15 year old orphan from the Ukraine coming.   I was nervous, apprehensive, and questioning what I had signed up for agreeing to host a 15-year-old orphan form Ukraine.  But when we truly trust in God and do what he asks of us (against our better/selfish own opinions) the amazing blessings and life altering events that take place. 

 

 
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To say that we are blessed to have been able to host Vlad is an understatement.  He has become a part of our family in every way possible.  Both of our children adore him to pieces and he is amazing with them, playing with them, helping to carry them, exhibiting patience with them when I am at my wits end, and above all loving them back. We did not expect to bond and form the connection that we did with Vlad.  We fell in love with a 15 year old boy who had not been loved for most of his life.  He is a remarkable young man that was put into a life situation that he never asked for nor did he deserve to be in. He is incredibly smart, funny, athletic, kind hearted, and is a normal smart mouthed witty boy when he feels challenged. We love that being in an orphanage has not broken his will and belief to stand up for what he thinks is right. Not only has he embraced our children but us as well.  We became a family.  

 

 
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Our daughter Lainy has truly grown from this entire experience, though it has been very difficult with him gone.  I feel like she has matured beyond the maturity she already had (if you know her then you know she was already 4 going on 14).  She has taken on more responsibility at home, shares her emotions openly about missing Vlad and things she does (like sleeping with his picture) so that she won’t miss him as much.

When he returned home to Ukraine we were all devastated and heartbroken.  We felt that God had put this child in our life for a reason (as we were not planning on adopting from Ukraine let alone a teenage boy), and that we needed to do everything that we could to give him the family he deserves.  Which led us to file a petition in Ukraine to find out his adoption eligibility and begin the longest 6 weeks of waiting ever.  But God has continued to guide us and prove that this is the path and plan he has for our family, and Vlad is eligible and we are in the process of doing what needs to be done to adopt him and give him a forever family.  

 

 
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Thank God for the Internet, which I now believe is the most amazing invention ever!  It allows us as a family to continue to show our love, support, and guidance to a child that would not receive it otherwise.  We are able to hear about Vlad’s day at school, playing soccer with friends and the number of goals he scored, and still strengthen the bond that was formed in the short amount of time we had him.  We send pictures almost daily of things we have been up to, he especially loves seeing pictures of Lainy and Gavin.  We are able to share our adventures with him, even though he is not here.

 

Before this will be finalized we will host him again this Christmas (thanks to some awesome fundraisers), and be able to hold him in our arms and just love him and show him God’s love.  I encourage everyone that has the means and even those who would need to fundraise to participate in a host program at some point.  Even those who do not want to adopt, it is a life changing experience that you will only be blessed by.  To truly witness and see God’s grace and love for the fatherless is the most humbling experience you will ever have.

 

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TO FOLLOW OUR JOURNEY VISIT WWW.TINYLITTLEFOOTPRINTS.COM

Ornaments for Adoption: Thoughts From Someone Who Was Adopted

It's Monday which means another Ornaments for Adoption post. Before we get to the post, let me give a quick update and take care of some business.

Did you know that each week, I'm hosting a drawing that you can be entered into for every ornament that you buy? Two weeks ago, Brenda Thigpen won a Starbucks gift card. This past week, Erin Gandy won a 16 inch faceted ball chain from Origami Owl thanks to Lynne. This week, you can win an adorable cross door hanger (similar to the one pictured below) courtesy of Megan at Dots and Curlz. Seriously, check out her page. She's always coming up with new ideas and her prices are always reasonable.

I'm keeping my Facebook page, Instagram, and website updated with pictures of the ornaments I'm making. Check out the OFA site to see how you can order your own ornament. Also make sure you meet this year's family and read the update from last year's family.

Today, I'm thankful to have this guest post from Kim who blogs over at The KO Story. This is a side of adoption we don't often read about. Kim was adopted and I appreciate her honesty in sharing the good and bad.

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When Megan contacted me asking that I write up something about adoption, I was overjoyed. After thinking about it for a few more minutes, I realized just how big of task I had in front of me. Should I write about my own adoption story and finding my birth mother this past spring? I could always go the route of sharing all of the things I love and admire about people that choose to adopt. After questioning what I really wanted to share for a good week or so, I settled on an idea: some ideas adopted children might be struggling with, and the reasoning behind those thoughts

There are tons of books from experts and parents who have adopted that inform people what to expect when they start the adoption process, but most times those people really can't understand the mind of an adopted child. My parents got married a little later in life, and after trying to have children for years, they finally decided to try out the adoption route. By the time they got me, my dad was 50 and my mom was 44. (Hopefully they don't see this and kill me for outing their ages!) Honestly, I couldn't have dreamed of better parents. They were, and still are, supportive, loving people who have always cared about me. I didn't see it that way when I was younger.

I've known that I was adopted since I could understand what adoption meant. The Day We Met You is an excellent book to introduce young children to adoption. Even though I knew my parents loved me, I also felt that somewhere out there, there was another family that just didn't love me enough to keep me. The following three issues were ones that were continuously running through my head.

• I don't belong - My parents both have dark hair and hazel eyes. I have blonde hair and blue eyes. They're both right-handed, I'm left-handed. I look nothing like any of my extended family, and I'm more reserved than any of them. Seeing those differences just amplified the fact that I wasn't blood-related.
• You aren't my real mother/father - This was the argument I used most often as a child, even up to high school. The sadness, and later anger, that there was a person out there that didn't want me often ate away at me. When my parents tried to discipline me, I threw this in their face as much as possible. 
• You don't really love me - This is another statement that was part of my abandonment issues. When I was a bit older and learned that the adopting parents pay for adoptions, it really shook me up. I felt more like a possession that could be returned if I wasn't what they wanted. I was constantly trying to please them, and if they got frustrated with me, I thought it was because they had paid for me and I wasn't acting meeting their expectations.

I'm sharing these because I know it might seem like adopted children act out more than other children would have, but that is just because there are so many other thoughts and ideas floating around their heads. It is my hope that people planning on adopting can begin to learn the thought-processes behind bad behavior. I think if my parents had learned to address these issues correctly, our relationship would have been much stronger growing up.

A couple other things I would like to say to all those adopting people out there: let your child know they are adopted as soon as you can. Hiding that fact can make a child feel like their parents are ashamed of it. And my final word of advice, if and when an adoptee wants to learn more about their birth family, support it. Knowing where you come from is a huge deal in my book, and you shouldn't worry about losing your child to their birth family. You are the person that raised that child and was there all along; you are the real parent.

What I have learned since becoming a mom...

Well, I'm not a mom.  But today I have Erica from We Three Crabs guest posting about her experiences. Her button is over there to the left and I think it's one of the cutest buttons I've ever seen. Anyway, I encourage you to read on because this isn't your typical "being a mom is the best thing in the world" post. While I know being a mom is such a blessing, I love how Erica is really sharing her heart and being honest and real. Enjoy!

What I have learned since becoming a mom.

I had my son “little Crab” when I was thirty-three years old. I had struggled with infertility and subsequently a divorce. I prayed for five consecutive years for a child and was blessed on August 9, 2010 with a healthy boy. I’ve since learned so much. I have learned to slow down and not schedule so much in my day. I’m a doer. I used to make long lists of lofty goals for myself and not sleep until my list was all marked off. With a baby you just can’t do that. I quickly learned that doing anything at all outside of nursing and changing diapers would be a major feat those first several weeks. As he grew, I learned that getting out of the house would take twice as long, and just when I thought we were good to go, he would poop. Eventually we made it out of the house. I learned to always carry the diaper bag, even if you are going to the store down the street for one thing. I always wondered how my own mom managed to have everything we could possible need with her at all times. I learned how to pack the bag and how to keep one in the car just in case. Now that my son is a toddler, every day is like learning something new, for both of us. I used to think it was awful if the kitchen floor was not mopped multiple times a week. I learned that spot cleaning with Lysol in a squirt bottle works just as good.

  

I’ve recently learned that my son doesn’t care is the gold fish on the floor of the car have been there more than three seconds; he wants to eat them anyway. I struggle with things like that. I’m learning to let that go. A quick lesson that I learned this week is I need to follow through with discipline. My son is testing his boundaries. A lot. I need to follow through with the consequence that I say is going to happen or I will lose my authority. Every time I do follow through, he learns a multitude of lessons about behavior and our relationship. After the punishment is given, we always discuss why and how to do better next time. He is learning to apologize for his wrongs. I apologize as well, mostly for not keeping my cool in the thick of it. Transitions are still tough for him. Setting a timer five minutes before bedtime to give him a warning has seemed to help the transition to bedtime go smoother. I'm learning that potty training could be the death of me. After my son looked at me the other day, hand on hip, and said "I don't poop in the potty. I poop in my dump truck." He proceeded to take off his pants and diaper and well, do just that. Oy! Today he actually pooped in the potty, so maybe we are making headway. Let's hope! I know this is only the beginning. I’m glad they start out as babies and we get to learn right along with them! I am excited about learning to the best mom I can be. 

27 I asked him for this child, and he gave me what I asked for. 1Samuel 1:27 GNB   

 

Erica is a mom to a busy toddler boy and a wife to an Alaskan Fisherman. Her blog, We Three Crabs is where she shares the stories of their adventures.

Peanut Butter Balls-Recipe

This week, I have something very special to share with you. Jo from Jo, My Gosh! (How cute is that blog name?!?) is sharing a YUMMY recipe. My mom made these at Christmas time and they are irresistible. If you're on a diet, you might want to stop right now. Otherwise, keep reading and pin this for future reference. I know I am!

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Hi! I'm Jo! I'm so excited that I'm on Megan's sidebar and that she's allowed me to share a recipe on her space on the web! I blog at Jo, My Gosh! where I'm chronicling my fiance's year-long deployment to Afghanistan, recipes, crafts, care packages, wedding planning, and everything in between. I'd love for you to join me!

When I was in elementary school, our cafeteria would make chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. That was good, but it didn't hold a candle to the lunch that came the next day. Without fail, it would be peanut butter ball day. That's right. Lunch's dessert would be a plastic cup with a giant ball of peanut butter frosting in it. That icing was worth trading Gushers and Dunkaroos for. Yes, it was that amazing.

I found the recipe on Pinterest. It's one of those viral recipes that really have no credibility other than that it's been shared a trillion times, but it looked intriguing, so I just had to try it! I halved the recipe simply because I didn't have enough of the ingredients and it still made almost 40 truffles. I can't even imagine what I would do with 80 truffles, other than gorge myself and give up on fitting into my wedding dress.

But here's the best part: When I tried one, I was back in my elementary school's cafeteria. The taste was exactly the same. Exactly. Try a little bit of heaven and make these for yourself!

You'll Need: 

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cup Rice Krispies
• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/8 cup melted butter
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• oil to add for melting chocolate

 Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix peanut butter, cereal, sugar, and melted butter until completely incorporated. Add a little bit of extra peanut butter if you need the mixture to stick together more firmly. 
2. Roll mixture into balls and place on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes
3. In a microwavable-safe container, mix chocolate chips and about 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Mix and microwave for 30 seconds at a time until chips are completely melted, stirring at intervals. Add oil for a thinner chocolate consistency.
4. Dip truffles into chocolate and place back on tray. Chill in the fridge until chocolate is hardened. 

There's an ecard for that....

Happy Monday (Is that an oxymoron?!?)

Today, I am happy to introduce you to Crystal. Before I decided to do away with paid sponsorships, I decided to add a larger ad space. I gave one away and was so happy when Crystal won. I had recently found her blog and was loving it. So, I truly mean it when I say you won't regret checking it out for yourself. 

Read on to learn more about Crystal as told by ecards. 

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Hey y'all! I'm Crystal, and I blog over at My Ramblings.  I'm so happy that Megan asked me to guest post today. I've loved reading her blog and getting to know her over the last few months.  I was a little stumped when I started thinking of what to write for a guest post, and then Megan shared a post that she wrote on Tales of a Twenty Something with me, and I loved it so much, I decided to steal borrow the idea.

Here is my life through e-cards!  I've loved these e-cards forever, and I find so many that I relate to. Hopefully these will give you a little more insight into who I am, and what you will find on my blog.

I will be turning 28 this year. I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that I am now in my late twenties, and that I'm barreling creeping towards thirty. I feel like I should have my 'stuff' together by now, but 

I am single.  I struggle with this one a lot.  Some days, I'm OK with it, and other days, I feel like it will never happen for me. I try to remain hopeful, but sometimes, it is hard, especially on days when messages like these show up in my inbox on dating websites. 

I'm fat. It's alright, I'm OK with using that word.  Like being single, this is one of the things that I struggle with. Some days are a lot better than others. Weight has been a struggle for me my entire life, and something that I will always have to work on.

This e-card kind of goes a long with the first one. Sometimes, I feel like everyone around me is in a different stage of life than I am.  I'm still in college... yes, 10 years after I graduated from High School.  I took a break for a while, while I worked full time. A couple of years ago, I made the transition back to school while working full time. School has been a real struggle for me, and I'm so ready for it to be over. 

So what am I in school for?  Elementary Education... For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be a teacher. I used to play school a lot. I even had a full sized chalkboard mounted to the wall of my playhouse. To complete the whole playing teacher thing, I had old copies of teacher's manuals and student books (my mom worked at the school) and even a desk. Playing school back then was fun. I loved teaching my imaginary students. Now, the students are real, but a lot of the fun has been sucked out of teaching for me. (I'll go head and step off of that soap box before I go too far...) 

I'm southern to the core. I'm a North Carolinian, born and bread. I have the heart of a Southern Belle for sure. 

I'm not a morning person at all... unless you count 2 am as the 'morning.' I rock 2 pm like nobody's business. I am most productive when it's dark outside. 

I may not have children of my own yet, but there are two children that definitely are my heart.  They are my nephew, Parker, and my niece, Maggie. I absolutely love being an Aunt. I talk about these kids like they are my own... because that's how I love them! They are pretty awesome kids, and I believe that I've had a big part in that. 

I'm a Tupperware Consultant. Last October, I took a huge leap of faith, and quit my full time job, to do something that made me happy. It hasn't always been easy, but I'm making it. 

As you can tell, there are a lot of 'areas' in my life. Somehow, I juggle them all, without too many plates breaking. I'm 'good' at a lot of things, but I'm not really a 'master' of anything. I love to craft, but I'm not really a craft blogger.  I like to read, but I'm not really a literary critic. I like to cook every now and then, but I'm not a foodie. I plan lots of parties, and even though I've considered opening a party planning business, I am by no means a professional. And at the end of the day, I like to give back to my community, but I won't be the 'Volunteer of the Year,' any time soon.  Did I mention, that I can do most of those things in a cute dress? (Still, not a fashion blogger.)

So there  you have it, ramblings of my crazy life, as told through e-cards. If you've stuck with me this long, consider following my blog. You never know what you're gonna find over there, but there should be something for everyone.  Thanks again to Megan for this idea and for this opportunity!  

Dreaming is Believing

Happy Wednesday!


Today, I want to introduce you to Niki. If you want to know what it would be like to live in Europe, you should follow along with her blog. I'll let her tell you where she lives....

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Hi everyone!

My name is Niki, and I blog over at Dreaming Is Believing.

I'm a senior in high school, I'm almost 18, I own a cute fur ball named Jake,and  I'm preparing for the big transition to university!

I took a decision a while ago, to pursue my dream of studying Psychology in my home country,

The Netherlands.

That means I will have to move from Crete, Greece, where we live right now, to a foreign country all on my own.

Confused?

You see, my mother is from Dutch origin, and my father from Greek.

Meaning me and my sister were raised having both nationalities, and speaking Greek and Dutch fluently.

So, this year I'm taking a leap of faith and diving head first into the unknown.

My blog is somewhere I can share my thoughts, hopes and dreams, including my fears and the technicalities involved in moving to another country.

I believe adventure is out there.

Stop by my blog and say hi anytime!

Niki

Moving is NOT for Wimps

Hey y'all!

Can I please just tell you how excited I am to be guest posting on Megan's blog. It's one of my faves! She is such a sweetheart. We are both from the south and are the same age and have lots more in common. And she has been so great to me. I was supposed to have my post ready last Monday, but due to our big move (that you'll read a little about in a sec) she so graciously gave me one more week to get my act together. Thanks, lady! 

So, here's that one time we moved... with a 6 month old's help.

So, my Mr. and I closed on our very first house last Friday. 

As you can probably guess, it's been a whirlwind of moving, painting, organizing, packing, unpacking, and about a million other things. Since I'm such an experienced (uh, not!) homeowner, I thought I might share some of the very new tips I've picked up.

First off, make sure that you are going through this process with someone who makes you laugh. Because if you move with someone who drives you nuts, well, may the force be with you. 

DO make sure have bandaids... Because you never know when your hubby will accidentally stick his finger with a screwdriver when an accident might occur. And yes, he does have a kid bandaid on. That's how we roll.

DON'T forget to pack bowls to go along with your cereal for your first morning at your new place...or your breakfast might look a little something like this... Whoops.

DO pack clothes appropriate for the weather. Apparently I forgot that Georgia does, in fact, get cold from time to time and I had no winter clothes to keep me warm. 

DON'T spend too much time cooking meals right away... We used this recipe from my sweet friend Lori's blog and made chicken and dumplings. Yum, yum, and YUM! It's easy, tasty, and such a great meal when it's cold outside.

DO choose a couple of paint colors that make you happy. My Mr. and I had been surrounded by only white walls for far too long. We wanted to paint just a few rooms and even though it was tons of work (um, who knew you could get finger cramps from using a paint roller?), we LOVE the colors and the feel it gives to our home. Plus, my hubby does cute things like this while I'm feeding our baby and my heart melts. 

DON'T forget to take time to enjoy the chaos. I went and took a giant bubble bath in our new tub. I totally forgot how wonderful bubble baths are. Speaking of which, I kind of want to go jump in one now. 

DO bring a cute baby to distract from the mess. I mean, really. He's a great helper.

DON'T paint with your mouth open... You see, sometimes when I concentrate really hard on something, my mouth is slightly open. Leave it to me to somehow get a drop of paint to make its way straight to it. Ew. And. Ew. Trust me on this one.

DO swing by my blog and visit me if you want to read more about the happenings (and mishappenings) of homeownership that are bound to come with our new house. Or if you want to read some ridiculously mushy posts to my baby boy. Or if you just want to laugh at the craziness that is The Bachelor, then come on over and visit me! I'd love to see you there! 

Sending lots of love, 
Maggie

Midweek Detour with Pretty Living PDX

Hey there JASTG blog readers my name is Myranda and I blog over at Pretty Living PDX. I blog about well...everything. I blog about my family, my weight journey, and fun adventures I have. I have only ever done 1 style post and I still made fun of myself in it, because that's the way I roll. I LOVE meeting new friends through this blogosphere so come say hello!

Let me just start by saying  I love Pinterest, I mean who doesn't? Am I right? One of my favorite Pinterest boards is my Funnies board. I will admit I am easily amused, but these pins really are funny.

Pinterest via 

Pinterest via

Pinterest via

Thanks for letting me share some Pretty Living PDX with you, come enter the iPad Mini giveaway I have going on my blog right now, I won one from a blog giveaway , and you can too! 

Don't Worry...Be Happy Round 2

Happy Monday! I am so excited to be introducing you to Cat today. I love finding women who encourage me through their blogs.

I couldn't help but laugh when I read Cat's guest post. Not because it's a funny post, but because I'm a HUGE worrier too. Also, because the 2nd blog post I ever wrote (back in 2010 when I was just writing for family and friends) was about not worrying. It's funny to look back and read it and see how far we've come.

I went back in my posts to find that particular post and saw that it only had 5 views. FIVE! So, I'd love to have you go back and read my original Don't Worry...Be Happy post along with this one brought to you by Cat.

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Hello friends of Megan...Is Megan just not the sweetest thing ever :) 

 I want to thank Megan for having me and you for sticking around to get to know me. 

 I am Cat and I blog over at This little life of mine.

 I am also just a small town girl, born and raised in North Carolina. 

 I am happily married to my high school sweetheart and a stay at home mommy/full time returning college student studying to be a counselor.  

I wanted to share something with you I found interesting: 

Earlier in January Megan asked for my New Years goal...I shared here that in 2013 I am going to worry less.  This is something I really struggle with BUT I am really working on worrying less.  

Skip a few weeks to when I came up with a 30 day scripture/faith challenge.

{At this point I had no date scheduled for this post}

Fast forward a few more weeks when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to share with you I looked back to see what the challenge topic would be on the day this post would go live.  

I could not believe it ....it was WORRY.  Coincidence? I say it was Gods PERFECT timing.

So I have decided to share more on worry. 

 Hopefully I will not be the only one who can relate.

via

You see I worry about EVERYTHING!  I worry if you will like me.  I worry about my homework.  I worry about my husband when he is not home.  I worry about money.  I worry about my looks.  I worry about my kids most of all....you see I worry about EVERYTHING. 

 I am even worrying about this post! 

I am a professional Worrywart!!!  And that is nothing to brag about.

Worrying does nothing for me.  It only makes things more difficult.  

We are not suppose to worry.  We are to give it all to God.  

In order to help myself not worry as much in 2013 I have started a list of things I can do along with some encouraging  scriptures that are going to help with my struggle:

  (Now it is only February and I am trying to add something each month to my list)

January:  In order to let go of my worries I am giving them away {don't worry I am not giving them to you} I will give all my worries to God.  He is the only one who can do anything about them.  As much as I want to be the one to solve my problems I cannot do them with out God.

{ I am letting go of those things I have no control over ...and praying more }

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers." -Philippians 4:6

February: Therefore I must spend more time in His word and in prayer.  

{ I started my challenge to help get myself more into the word }

" Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear." -Matthew 6:25

{I love what Matthew 6:25-34 says if you want to read all of it}

I am looking forward to adding something new to help me to worry less each month.  

I pray that these words have encouraged someone and that we can give our worries to God. 

***

Cat shared the first part of this verse.  Philippians 4:6-7 is my "go-to" verse when I start to worry. I love how the notes in my Bible point out that God's peace here does not mean that everything is going the way you want it or there'll be no troubles. God's peace is knowing that God is in charge.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

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Did you know that right now you can sponsor JASTG for half off? Just use code "happybirthday" because it's my birthday month! 

Did you see my post yesterday about helping the Hills with their adoption?