detox.

Silas T. is on TV/Movie Detox. And our house is happier.

Instead of movies, Silas is doing more of this, which is nice.

Water

I've talked about Jody Landers before... Sweet Jody and the Water For Christmas team. Last year you may remember $10 Fridays leading up to Christmas. Water For Christmas was all about getting people to give $10 every Friday to build wells in Africa with charity: water. (and last year over $100,000 was raised!)

Well, this year Water For Christmas is doing it once.

$10

24 hours.

November 13th.

I can't wait to see what is raised on this 1 day...

Jody is currently in Liberia with charity: water seeing first hand all the amazing things that charity: water is doing to get clean water to people without. Check her.

Water For Christmas also has some great things for sale on their site.... ALL the profits go towards water!

They also have this here site on ETSY selling cute things... Again, ALL the profits go to water!

Crisis Averted.

I am a girl who can most often be seen wearing jeans. I love jeans. But, this fall season I have become super edgy. I have gotten into the skinny black pants/leggings. SO edgy, right? :) I know, its not edgy. I am kidding.

Anyway, I was sort of loving wearing my black legging/pants with boots... either my grey sweater boots, or brown sweater boots, or brown leather boots.

Then earlier this week I saw that Oprah was going to be on how your shoes and accessories can make you look slimmer. I am a sucker for a show on how to look slimmer, so I recorded it and watched parts of it. Oprah and her team of stylists talk about how your shoes/boots MUST match the pair of leggings you have on. She stressed this statement at least 3 times.

I got a complex and started thinking I was so 2001 with my brown shoes/black leggings combo. So, I went to a styling professional... Julie Beeler. :) Julie Beeler knows her fashion. She disagreed with Ms. Winfrey and now I am back to loving wearing brown shoes with my black leggings. My boot crisis was averted.

Day 4... Check.

The Chandelier.

Before we moved into our first house we bought this chandelier at an antique store... We put it in our bedroom and loved it. But, we could not deny that we missed the breeze of the not-as-cute-but-functional ceiling fan.

We took the chandelier with us when we moved and I knew I wanted to put it in our girls bedroom. During the move, one of the sockets broke. So I took it to a chandelier repair place. Simple enough. They looked at it, suggested I replace a few other old things and told me the price per each replacement piece. A few days later I went to get it. I thought I knew what I would be paying.... But, I was mistaken. Apparently the price I was told initially did not include the cost of labor. Yikes....labor is a lot!

(the chandelier in our girls future bedroom)

After I reluctantly told Josh what the cost to repair the chandelier was, we both decided that it is our first family heirloom to pass on. :)

(Her empty, not yet decorated bedroom)

Silas and baby girl, we may not have large trust funds for you to inherit, but you can fight over who gets the antique chandelier.

Your Welcome. :)

Did I just do an entire blog post on a chandelier? Yes, yes I did. 30 posts folks, 30 posts.

I Make The World Better

Uh oh.. Its only day 2 of this challenge and I am already struggling. I need to get it together. :)

This post has been a post in waiting.... I Make The World Better is a sweet sweet little children's book that was made and published by Danielle and Tommy.

The picture book is written in English and Amharic... And it is full of sweet Ethiopian faces (Including Silas T) :)

This is a picture of Silas' page... He is the "I recycle" poster child.... which is pretty ironic actually. We aren't the greenest family on the block... we have really good intentions though. And do recycle, just not everything we should. :)

All the proceeds of this book go to water charities. You can purchase the book and read more about their organization, I Heart Adoption, by clicking here.

ROOOOOAAR!

I saw this at Stacies, and I decided to do it. You should too. It will be fun, I think. This is a perfect way for all us washed up bloggers to get back into posting. :)

30 posts in 30 days.

This year I got Silas a lion halloween costume. I think he is a pretty cute little lion. Josh thinks I got him a baby-ish costume... he actually called it a "wussy lion" costume. I might baby Silas a little, but he's my BABY. :)

We did Chili dinner, fun drinks, delicious apple crisp, and trick or treating with some friends. It was really fun!

CUTE boys... Grey, Eli, Atticus, and Silas T.

Me and my lion.

ROAR.

See you tomorrow. Here. Again. :)

Accessorize For Africa

Do you live in Central Oklahoma? If yes, then you should come....

Christmas is around the corner! Come with your Christmas lists and shop Ugandan Paper Bead necklaces and earrings, homemade aprons, Sseko Shoes made in Uganda, Africa notecards, and Christmas gift tags!

If you are interested in coming, let me know and I will email you the location.

Bring friends!!!!!

*much thanks to Emery for making the cute invite!:)

HopeMongers

HopeMongers is LIVE today! Hopemongers is a micro giving organization created by some of our friends Sam & Wendi Henry. The Henry's also happen to be co-founders of Red Letters Campaign.

Check out the website... check out ALL the amazing projects you can participate in by donating $10 to. The projects are completed through organizations like Amazima (Katie Davis), Living Water International, Children's HopeChest, and Agathos. Some really great projects like

hiring teachers in Rapha, Uganda

Garden seeds and supplies in Bukaya, Uganda

October Medical Care in Kamuda, Uganda

a well in Bambela, India

vitamins for undernourished chidlren in Soroti, Uganda

a well in Bayaha, Haiti

We are participating in providing October School Lunches to Rapha, Uganda

256 children in the Rapha Community attend Rapha Primary School. These children live in abject poverty and are not able to provide for their school lunches. For this reason, the children must sit on the hill waiting while other children eat lunch each day. Providing for this school lunch program will enable Rapha Primary School to feed EVERY child who attends school a nutritious lunch. For many, this will be the only meal they eat that day.

and Land for a Community Garden in Bukaya, Uganda

Amazima (Katie Davis) desires to provide the children in our education program an opportunity to learn to garden and farm, a skill that will be useful for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, the children’s two longest holidays are during crop season. The children would be able to come work and learn during the day and once crops grew, take them home to their families. Land - $1,000; Seeds, hoes, shovels - $1,000; People served - 500 children

and a Hiring A School Counselor in Otuboi, Uganda

Otuboi Secondary School is a boarding school for teens, many of whom are finding freedom and security here after years of running from the LRA. After years of abject poverty, abuse, fleeing the LRA and at many times suffering as abducted child soldiers, these children need not only an education but hope and healing. YOU can provide that through a counselor to help them work through these issues and find freedom.

Find a Project. Give $10. See the Impact.

HopeMongers

P.P.P.

Silas' 1st Fall.

Silas' 2nd Fall.

His 3rd Fall... he is getting so big!

We went to Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch and loved it. It is out in the country and was actually quite pretty, which in my opinion is hard for Oklahoma to be... at least Central Oklahoma. No offense Okies.

How many Bottomly's does it take to figure out how to open the gate? We were all three stumped as to how to get into the petting zoo. We struggled with the gate for quite a while. Then we pushed on the gate and it opened. Technology.

Oink Oink.

Neigh. Neigh.

hop. hop.

I love Silas.

Farmer Silas.

Cutest farmer I have ever seen.

oh boys.

Us- Fall 2009.

(When does the day come when you ask your child to look at the camera and smile and they actually do it... looking forward to that day)

And, she will (hopefully) be with us next Fall!

"School" pictures

Silas started mothers day out this year... he goes two days a week and I L-O-V-E it. It is a win-win... Its good for him on many levels and it is great for me, also on many levels. :) (mothers day out programs are everywhere here and very normal. I don't think they are everywhere though... for example, my homeland Iowa. Dear Iowa, you should have mothers day out programs.)

At "school", they take Fall pictures. I had pretty low expectations for the pictures, but did order the cheapest thing on the form, a picture magnet, for memory's sake.

I actually just swiped these pictures off the picture takers website. Is that illegal? I mean... they are grainy, and it's not like I am going to go make copies of them or anything. So, please don't call the picture police on me.

It's a first in Silas' life..... His first "school"-ish pictures.

*my only request of his teacher, Ms. Chrissy, was that Silas' collar be up. I like his little collar popped.

I think they are funny, but that is possibly just because I am his mama.

Sseko

Have you seen these shoes? They are by Sseko Designs. My friend Gina emailed me about them and they are cute AND profit Ugandan women!

Here's a bit of their story:

The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. However, in an impoverished and male dominated society, many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time.

Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.

Sseko Designs is a for-profit enterprise that recognizes the power of business and responsible consumerism to support sustainable economic development, which in turn affects a country's educational, justice, and health care systems. The goal of Sseko Designs is two-fold: provide university tuition for these promising young women through a sustainable monthly income, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda.

Although consumerism makes many empty promises, responsible and proactive consumerism has the ability to change lives. Like the lives of Mercy, Mary and Rebbecca.

Every sandal has a story. This story has only just begun, but with your help, it will be a story of hope, success and change

The shoes come in solids and pattern and look really cute. Read more about Sseko Designs on their website... there is more about their story, the women that are benefiting from the sales of the shoes right now, and their blog. Check it by clicking here.

addendum: the straps are all interchangeable! Even better!

Yellow & Pink.

I am slowly starting to think about Olive's room. It feels a little different the second time around. Silas' nursery was such a big deal to me, and I am feeling less concern about Olive's. Sorry Olive. I do want it to be sweet though. A sweet girly room.

I currently love this bedding. I have never before thought I would choose the color yellow. But I love this pattern. It feels a little 60's vintage to me. Love. (minus the elephant pillow)

I really want to make this little diddy. Isn't it cute? I actually planned to make it tonight via this tutorial. I went to Hobby Lobby to buy all the supplies earlier today. But, there was one thing I needed that I couldn't find. I asked a worker to help me and she was not helpful. Silas was with me and was getting antsy. So, we left.

I also love this look. Easy and cute.

And I love this print.

and this one.

I find myself spending more and more time on crafty blogs and websites these days... I love Ohdeedoh. Does anyone have any crafty blogs or sites you love that I need to know about? :)

4.

4 months down! (actually almost 4 and a half) Yee haw!

Sadly, thats all I have to blog about right now.

Buuuut, Kebebtsehay, Moses, and Children's Home Ethiopia sponsors... news of our sponsor communities first ever orphanage trip to Ethiopia is coming SOON!

He is my own. thankyouverymuch.

Warner Bros. new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. Let me tell you about how an orphan changed my life.....

(Excerpt from the chapter Silas Day out of the book From Ashes to Africa)

As our first day unfolded with Silas, I noticed little things, like Josh's love language with his new son. Regularly, Josh would lean down and give Silas a slobberty kiss It sounded like a whoopee cushion. Josh called this kiss a "zerbert." With every zerbert, Silas' eyes would light up in Josh's smiling face, and Silas' eleven-pound body would spasm with laughter.

I also paid attention to my own small interactions with Silas. I found that I would break spontaneously into song anytime I held him. I vividly recall toweling Silas off from his bath, and as I did this, I sang him these lyrics:

I love my Silas,

I love, I love my Silas,

I love my Silas, my boooy.

I love my Silas,

I love, I love my Silas

I love my Silas, my sweet little boy

This song stuck. Every morning since, I have woken Silas up with this song. It's how we greet each other. It's my love song to my son. Moreover, it's a psalm of praise to my God for giving me a son to sing to each day.

As bedtime approached that first night with Silas, Josh and I played "rock, paper, scissors" to determine who got the first night shift. I lost. Honestly, I didn't mind. Soon after Josh had fallen asleep, Silas woke up hungry. I turned on the light, changed his diaper, and then turned the light off. The rest I did in the dark, by feeling. I took Silas into bed with me and propped myself up with pillows against the headboard to feed him his bottle. As Silas swallowed down the milk, he began a low contented sort of singing. I joined in, humming along under my breath. It was our first duet.

Looking back on that first day with Silas, it felt for a time like he was only present, enclosed mostly in his own small being. And then, I could see it happening, he began to look out of his eyes. He began to see the light from the hotel windows. He began to see us. He began to look at us and smile, as if greeting us from a world we did not know.

To know that I was becoming known by this small living being, who had existed 2000 miles away but now was brought near to me through pain, desire, and love-- that changed me. My heart, which seemed to have had only loss and grief in it before, now had joy in it. My heart was full. Through Silas I felt like I was settling out into a new world and into a new life.

I felt reborn.

***

Join me in Defending the casue of the Orphan.... From Tom Davis' blog:

This is the opportunity to defend the cause of the orphan. But instead of cursing the darkness, lets put the truth on display.

Tom is challenging his readers and friends to write 500 positive blog posts about how an orphan has impacted and changed your life. Post this on your own blog so that when people search for the movie, they are flooded with positive messages about adoption and orphan care.

Just finish this sentence: "Warner Bros. new horror movie Orphan proclaims that it must be hard to love an adopted child as much as your own. Let me tell you about how an orphan changed my life..."

This is the heart of defending orphans. Help push back the darkness and deceit here by holding up as an example the powerful love that adoption and orphan care can unleash.

Heres how you can defend the orphan:

1. Write a "positive protest post" on you blog that references the movie, Orphan.

2. Focus on your orphan care or adoption story that is positive, redeeming, and full of love.

3. Link your post to www.tomdavis.typepad.com

4. Send out an email, Facebook message, or tweet to get others to do the same thing on their blogs.

Coming Back...

I took a blog break. It has been longer than I expected. Every night I sit down to blog and come up with absolutely nothing to post. I still don't really have much.... but I am coming back anyway. :)

We have been busy bees......

We went to DisneyWorld with my family. It was a good time, though Silas was a little young to fully get into Disney mania. And by Disney mania, I mean Disney CRAZIES! I can not tell you how many for real Mickey Mouse tattoos we saw. Isn't that strange?

We are big nerds in the picture below, but the dude taking our picture told us to put our thumbs up. So, we did.

Here is my family... my mom, dad, sister in law, nephew, brother, and niece. There is some stranger in yellow trying to be a part of our family photo, but she is not one of us. :)
I also had a fun little reunion with two of my favorite girls from the college days. Cindy and Courtney came to visit for a weekend. GT...good times. Our get togethers always include Mexican food and margaritas. Though, after this last experience with a margarita, I seriously think I am calling it quits. It (singular) did me wrong. And if I am fully honest I don't even really like tequila.

We have also been spending a lot of time at the pool. Silas is a natural in the water and loves loves it. Though, we are still working on the jump. How do you teach your child to jump? We don't know, but we are working on it. When we ask him to jump off the ledge of the pool... he bends his knees and just takes a step. I freak every time because his head gets a little too close to the edge.

And finally, we have been on the wait list for THREE months!
Yee haw! 3 months down!

la la la Fathers Day

My boys on Fathers Day 2009.

Silas giving his dad his fathers day gift. 

Silas explaining the meaning behind his first masterpiece. :)

I am thankful for Josh and the amazing father he is to Silas!

 I am also BLESSED with an amazing dad myself.  

Happy Fathers Day!  

Reunited and it feels so goo-ood.

We were in Houston this past weekend and were able to reunite Silas and Deacon!  I have mentioned it many times before, but these cute boys were cribmates in Ethiopia at the Gladney Care Center.  We also traveled to Ethiopia at the same time as Deacon's parents, the Faulkners.

Here we are in Ethiopia in May 2006...

and here we are 2 years later...

When Silas and Deacon saw each other in Houston they shouted each other's names, ran to each other, and hugged! 

Just kidding... that didn't happen.  We asked them to hug. :)

One of these boys was compliant with all the picture taking, while one of them was not.  Based on the below picture can you guess which one was not?  :)

Cuties.

Oh Fathers Day.

I have a GREAT gift idea for Fathers Day.  :)

Tracy at Junkposse is doing a special on her items for Fathers Day! She will create any one of her amazing pendants and put it on a nice, solid sterling silver key ring and add a name or date to the back at no additional charge!  She will also include a free pair of sterling silver earrings for the mamas! :)  Great deal! 

Here are a few pendants that I think would look great as keychains: 

HOPE for Africa pendant is here

Hands for Africa pendant is here

Heart for Africa pendant is here

I Made A Wish and You Came True pendant is here

To purchase one of her pendants as a keychain... just convo her at the top of her JunkPosse Etsy page (you will have to be logged in to convo her) and she will put up a special order on her site of the pendant keychain you want! :)  ALSO, she can create a custom key ring design.. Just convo her and let her know what you want and she will most likely make it happen... :)  She's pretty amazing.  Go HERE and see!

baby boy.

My baby boy.

He loves a good pah-pah.

And loves loves his blankey.

(dreading the day that is fast approaching when we take away the pah-pah)

Feed The Forgotten.

Too often we hear heartbreaking stories like this and do nothing. We feel helpless. . . and so we move on. Not this time. There are people DYING in Uganda right now. There are children who's bellies are hungry and aching. There are mamas who are too weak to stand and babies begging to be held. There are people trapping termites hoping for food and eating dung in helplessness. DO NOT CAVE TO DESPAIR. YOU CAN DO SOMETHING.

Join us and Children's HopeChest to Feed The Forgotten... (CLICK HERE to give now) (note: please write FEED THE FORGOTTEN in the notes section)

For $0.14, we can feed someone a meal of posho and beans. (posho is cornmeal, which is filling and beans are protein). 

Take that in for a moment. . .

$0.14 a meal

$2.86 for 20 days

$1 per FAMILY

$20 feed a family for 20 days.

How much was my Orange Tree Frozen Yogurt yesterday? How much was Josh's Starbucks? The bigger question is how much am I willing to give up so that others might eat?

Remember Jesus story of the Good Samaritan? Remember how his very neighbors walked right by him? They probably looked at him with pity. . .probably thought "oh poor guy, that breaks my heart" but the fact is THEY DID NOTHING.

What will you do? These children are starving. . .

these actual children. . .
Will you help? The money raised will feed those precious children. There are 3 - 4 villages that Hope Chest is targeting (They are hoping for more after they see how much money we can raise!) to bring food relief to asap. These people are literally starving. . and waiting for you to act. Will you help? Even with paypal fees (2-3%) even $1 will feed 6 people! You CAN make a difference.

Spread the word, blog about it, facebook it, twitter it, ask your church or school or business to give, post the blog badge anything. Truly, we are begging you. . .on behalf of these children not to forget this post and move on to the next in your google reader list. Stop, pray, act.
GIVE TO FEED THE FORGOTTEN CHILDREN! (note: please write FEED THE FORGOTTEN in the notes section when you give)

To get the blog badge and spread the word, go here to Brandi's Blog.