Deal or No Deal?

Many of you who know me well know that I LOVE a good deal.  I try my best to not buy anything that isn't on sale or without a coupon.  It doesn't always happen, and I could do a MUCH better job at it, but I try.  I have not always loved "thrifing".  However,  getting married, then starting nursing school as a newly wed with only one income...I learned that hot glue guns, paint, yard sales, Craigslist and thrift stores were really cool things if you let them be.

Some of my most favorite things in our home have appeared as a result of my begging my sweet husband to stop and "let me look for just a second"!  One of our most recent finds is this farmhouse table we found a few months ago.  We were in the process of starting to look for new office furniture for our study to match this beautiful bookcase that was made for Aaron by an older gentleman at our last church.  To be honest the looking was just discouraging - that stuff can be expensive!  But alas! Goodwill saved the day with this $30 farmhouse table that Aaron stained to match the bookcase.  I love it.

Please excuse the lack of decor. Waiting to get those walls painted! 

I may or may not have traveled the 3 miles from our home to the nearest Goodwill twice within the last 24 hours.  :)  As I mentioned in another post, since Aaron and I don't have any children of our own, we have nothing for babies/toddlers around here.  I know friends and family will generously give us some hand-me-downs (for which we are SO thankful and gladly welcome), but I've also been keeping my eyes open for good deals on things I know we will need fairly soon.  We realize that many foster children often have nothing to bring with them except the clothes on their backs, so I feel like we need to have at least the basics here before a child is placed with us. Over the past couple of weeks, I have found the following items - most of which are BRAND NEW from Goodwill and one other thrift store.  I really hit the jackpot yesterday and today at Goodwill on these:

Four NEW sippy cups (one super cool one that has a part attached to the bottom that you can put snacks such as cheerios in), two NEW snack cups, one NEW dishwasher basket, and one NEW bottle dryer.  Each of these items were 99 cents or less.

These are a few more items I've found over the last couple of weeks.  Three flannel blankets, two NEW hooded bath towels, one NEW Eddie Bauer roller window shade, one NEW crocheted type baby blanket, and one sweet little girl's gown that I just couldn't pass up.  All the items from the last 2 pictures = less than $24.  Deal or no deal??  Definitely DEAL!!!  I.Love.It.  Check out those thrift stores around you...never know what you might find!  :)

Home Study...The End Result is Good Stuff

I (Meredith) am so thankful I have had a couple of weeks off between resigning from my job at the hospital and starting back to work at the allergy clinic.  We finished our foster training on Sunday and I have been working on foster care paper work and scheduling appointments like it's my full time job. I'm happy to say we've gotten a lot done already and we just need to take care of a few more things before we can turn all our paper work in and have someone come out and tell us what we need to do in our home to make it "childproof".

I had my first cry today when attempting to schedule an appointment for someone from environmental health to come out and inspect our septic tank as part of our home study. Long story short, all we need is a letter saying we don't have any "poop holes" or leaks in our yard that could be hazardous. Apparently, however, one of the "rules" at the environmental health department is that we have to have our septic tank pumped before they can inspect it.  After going around and around on the phone with the sweet lady, explaining to her that all I need is for someone to come out, walk around in our yard and sign a form for us saying that nothing is leaking,  I broke down.  On the phone. With that sweet lady.  She was just doing her job and I understand that.  It was just a moment of frustration and there was no stopping the quiver in my voice that turned into a full blown cry.  How embarrassing. Although I denied the services the sweet lady was offering me, I did thank her for her time...and for not telling me how crazy I must have sounded.  Thankfully, our home study supervisor came to my rescue, assured me we would figure out another way to get the inspection done, and reminded me that "the end result is good stuff."  Yes. It sure will be.

I am blown away already by those who responded to my last post in regards to some of the things we are looking to buy or possibly have donated to help us get a room started for the first sweet little one that will come our way.  Here is a list of the things already offered to us:
 -Pack N Play
-Changing Table with Storage
-Baby bathtub
-Some girl's clothing and maybe some boys clothing
Such a BLESSING!!

Some of the bigger items we will need to have in place before we receive a child are a baby crib and possibly a twin sized bed, depending on the age of the child.  If you or anyone you know has either of these available and is wanting to sell or donate them, please let me know!  We would be so grateful.

Aaron and I have the opportunity to go out of town for a little fall getaway this weekend and the timing couldn't be more perfect!  We haven't had the chance to go anywhere on our own since our honeymoon - almost 4 years ago.  We are so looking forward to time away together, just the two of us, to refresh and recharge for the next few weeks and months ahead!  WHOOHOOO! (maybe this time away will help keep me from crying on the phone with complete strangers!) :)

He didn't ask us.

What a fantastic weekend of foster care training we had!  First of all, I cannot say enough good things about FaithBridge Foster Care (http://www.faithbridgefostercare.org/).  One of Aaron's best childhood friends has worked with FaithBridge for several years now and thankfully he got to present portions of our training to us this weekend.  That was really cool for both of us, but I know it was especially meaningful for Aaron. We learned with about 8 or 9 other couples, each having a story of their own as to what brought them to this weekend. We all came to this place through different avenues, but one aspect of our stories was constant...we were there because we know the Lord has called us to this.

The entire curriculum for our training was very detailed, and while we know we will never be fully prepared as each child is different, we certainly feel better equipped for the journey ahead.  One of the main things I love about FaithBridge is that they are, as their name suggests, a faith based child placement agency.  They do work very closely with the DFCS system in placing children, but they incorporate the Church and the Gospel into their care.  After all, isn't caring for these children ultimately the Church's job anyway?

Aaron and I have become familiar with James 1:27 over the past few years and it was once again spoken over us this weekend. "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."(James 1:27)  It's a mandate.  He doesn't ask us.  He tells us.  Just as the Great Commission is given to us not as a suggestion, but a commandment, so it is for caring for those who cannot care for themselves.  If Believer's (the Church) were truly living out James 1:27, would there be approximately 150 children in need of placement but only 8 homes currently available in the county where Aaron and I live?? Probably not.

FaithBridge has a Community of Care mindset.  Not everyone is called to foster parent, but just as we learned from James 1:27, everyone IS called to do something.  If we heard it once this weekend, we heard it a thousand times.  We cannot do this alone.  We must surround ourselves with others who are committed to helping us - babysitting, respite care, providing meals, providing supplies, praying on a consistent basis for foster children and their families.  Or maybe you do have the resources available and feel the call to foster parent. Start praying about what you and your family CAN do if you aren't already involved!

Over these next weeks and months, Aaron and I will be begin preparing our home to welcome a child or children.  Since we don't have children of our own, we need things!  If you have any of these items and are willing to sell or donate them, please let us know.

-Baby Crib/Mattress
-Pack n Play
-Twin Bed
-Changing Table
-Swing
-Up-to-Code Carseats/Bases
-Stroller
-Swing
-Boy/Girl Clothing and shoes for ages 0 to 5 years
-Blankets/Bath towels and cloths
-Baby Tub
-High Chair/Booster Seat
-Bouncy Seat
(I realize this is a very incomplete list!)

This picture was taken almost immediately after our training was completed yesterday.  Aaron was all smiles until somebody had to go saying something about poop being smeared on walls.  Thanks for all those who prayed for us this weekend!  Keep it up - the fun is only beginning! :)

The Time is Now

Aaron and I will attend our very first foster care training session tomorrow night and we will have all day training sessions on Saturday and Sunday. We are both very excited to begin learning more about the in's and out's of foster care and the things we can begin working towards to make ourselves and our home ready for the child or children the Lord will place into our care.  As excited as I am, I'm also a bit apprehensive - it's hitting me that things are about to "get real".  I feel like at this point we could still decide to wait it out just a little longer until we are more ready...more in our savings, more time for "just us", more money to spend on some things around the house like furniture of our very own and not hand-me-downs.  Technically, we aren't super invested yet and our heart strings haven't been tugged on quite hard enough at this point for it to really effect us if we choose to wait a little longer, right??  However, I know that after this weekend, these feelings will change as we hear story after story of orphans in our own communities with no place to call home.  We will know that just as these children can't wait "just a little longer" to need a family, that we can't wait any longer to work towards giving them one.  No turning back after tomorrow, folks.  

Our desire is ultimately foster to adopt, meaning that we will eventually have the opportunity to adopt the child in our care.  We understand with our minds that this may not always be a reality - who knows if our hearts will ever understand this? Just over the last few days, I've been asking the Lord to remind both of us that our ultimate goal in this isn't to fulfill our desire to parent, but that it would be to provide a safe and healthy environment for a child and give them a chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus. 

Thankfully we have many dear friends that have "paved the road" before us with foster and adoption care.  Oh, how thankful we are for this! To know that there are others who know how to pray more specifically for you than you know how to pray for yourself is a pretty huge comfort.  We are thankful for them and their examples in our lives.  

Pray for us this weekend that the Lord would change our hearts to love and care for others like He does.  We look forward to updating you and sharing with you what we learn.  

I will leave you with this song that I was reminded of today by a friend's post on Facebook.  This friend is the Daddy of two of our most favorite little "adopted" boys ever!  

Life Update

Thanks for checking out our new blog - one avenue we hope to use to help keep our friends and family, both near and far, updated on where the Lord has us in this season of life and where He is taking us. Most of you know that Aaron and I moved back north this summer to the Gainesville area to be closer to family.  We have so enjoyed being here and are really loving the process of making our new house a home.

Aaron began his new job as Communications Manager for a church here in town 2 days after our move.  To say he "hit the ground running" would be an understatement!  He is very much enjoying this new transition and the ways he is being allowed to use his creative/artistic abilities with this job has been so huge for him.  I know I'm a bit biased, but he truly is so good at what he does and to get to do it in a ministry setting is a major bonus!

I began my first job as a Registered Nurse Intern at the local hospital here in town in July in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).  What a huge blessing to be presented with this challenging position right out of nursing school!  However, as the weeks went by, I began feeling a stirring from the Lord that this may not be where He wanted me, at least for now.  Aaron and I are in a season of life where starting a family is a priority to us and because of this, our desire is that our schedules will match each others as closely as possible when this said family begins to take shape.  So, with much discussion and prayer, Aaron and I decided that it would be best for me to step down from my position at the hospital and seek out other nursing positions that would allow us to have the same schedule throughout the week.  Because of the Lord's great love and grace towards me, He saw fit to place me back at the physician's office I worked in before Aaron and I were married.  I will begin my job there as Nursing Supervisor in November and couldn't be more excited about it!  I am so thankful for my time at the hospital and for the incredible nurses and staff the Lord allowed me to interact with in the NICU for a short time.

Speaking of starting a family, this next weekend, Aaron and I will attend our very first training session to begin the process of becoming foster parents.  We are pumped.  And very scared!  Foster care/adoption has always been very much a part of our vocabulary so we are excited that all of our talks and thoughts are hopefully becoming reality.  We will share more of our heart, or rather what we are learning about God's heart, on fostering/adopting in future posts.  But for now, we simply ask that you pray for us.  Pray as we take these first steps into a very unknown area for us.  Pray for the Lord to prepare our hearts and minds for the training we will receive this next weekend.  Pray for the hearts of our families, as they are undoubtedly our biggest supporters.

We look forward to sharing with you the things that will transpire over these next weeks and months - it's sure to be an interesting ride!