Easy fall decor

I'm back....and not as late as the last time. :) Life in general is just plain busy, but I'm encouraged in many ways. I mentioned a couple of months back that I've been organizing things around the house. Even though I am not done, I'm feeling a huge sense of accomplishment lately. I can actually find things and can work quicker and easier with projects. We are seeing the Lord work mightily in our family. Alyzza is doing well post-adoption and we're seeing praises in regards to Little S' situation. Thanks so much for your prayers. We will continue to keep you updated in the best way possible.

One of the things I have been enjoying this fall is starting back up at M.O.P.S. again. Little S is in a new class and since she's older, she always looks forward to going with me. In fact, when we're out and about doing other things she'll ask if we're going to M.O.P.S. She loves it that much! This year, I joined the steering committee as the crafts coordinator. This past summer, I worked at gathering ideas from my stash of books and magazines as well as off of the internet. I came up six crafts that I'll be sharing with you after we do them. We did the first craft recently, and that is shown in the second photo. I'll explain more on that below. But, this first picture shows something I did with Little S last month. I call it "Fall in a Jar."

We went for a walk and I encouraged her to find things that she'd like to put in a jar. She found leaves, twigs, rocks and crab apples. She talked about what she found with Dad. It's great to incorporate God's creation in the conversation as well. This jar made a great centerpiece until she accidentally dropped it on the floor and the jar broke into many pieces! (Yikes!)

Here's our beautiful fall wreath we made at M.O.P.S. It was a hit with everyone! It was probably the most time-consuming prep work I've done for any craft (for 60-70 ladies), but it was well worth it. Alyzza helped me with counting strips of fabric, but the cutting had to be done by me. Thankfully, the rotary cutter came in handy. The other ones should be easier to pull together and I've had offers from some of the ladies to ask them for help if I need it. Here is the link for this wreath, which really can be used for any season using the right colors. From the instructions it does not say how many strips you need, but someone asked about that in the comments section. You need roughly 100 strips or so to make a full wreath. Use a variety of prints and solids to make it look the best. I used denim and corduroy to add some texture to it as well.

How's your fall season going so far? Have fun adding these ideas to your fall decor this year. 

Alyzza's Adoption Day Celebration!

I thought it was about time to reveal pictures of the day when we finalized Alyzza's adoption. All of these pictures came from my sister-in-law, Abigail, so I'd like to give a special thanks to her for these. The pictures also show mostly family, and those which did not include Little S (they were sooo cute, but still can't show you her face on this blog). Anyway, here's the story of Alyzza's Adoption Day:

After a half-day of school, Q went to pick Alyzza up to bring her back home to get ready to leave. We needed to drive an hour away to Fort Collins for the hearing, so after lunch we had a time of rest and getting dressed up to go. Alyzza chose this fancy dress, given to her by her cousin, Annalina, to wear. We also gave her a couple of gifts from us, and revealed to her a special gift from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson. See that beautiful necklace she's wearing? It has her new initials on one side and the date of adoption on the other. It was such a thoughtful gift and one that she'll keep forever.

Two sweet girls just hanging out--Alyzza Joy and Annalina Joy! :)

More cousins....Gabriel, Alyzza, Annalina, Carson and Ross

Daddy and her big girl

After our waiting time in the lobby, we went inside the court room. Besides Alyzza's caseworker and lawyer, also joining us were Abigail and her kids and our friend, Shannon, and her boys. They sat in the jury section as they watched. It was neat to see that the majority of our "audience" were children.

The judge asked us a few questions,

then had us check over some paperwork to make sure all of our names and things were correct. He was so down-to-earth and friendly. We could tell that he loves kids and that he enjoys doing these hearings.

He shook Alyzza's hand to congratulate her, then he gave her a special certificate.

We hugged when it was all done....it was finally official! What an awesome feeling. I've never given birth to a child before, but I'm sure my feelings that day were pretty much the same to those who have. I didn't know whether to cry or jump up and down with excitement.:)

The jury (aka my fabulous nephews and niece!)

me with the youngest of the crew, cutie pie, Jedidiah

Alyzza having a great time with Carson

After the hearing, we headed to a park nearby where Q had reserved a shelter. We ate some yummy chicken fingers from Raising Cane's, then enjoyed a piece of cake. Several other friends from our church here and from our former church in Fort Collins joined us in celebrating this special day with us. All of them have prayed and cried with us during this time of adding children into our family.

Thanks again to all of you who have prayed with us as well. Through this I have realized that God always has the perfect plan in each of our lives. If it hadn't been for my roller coaster of physical adversities and miscarriages, Alyzza may have never been a part of our family. We can't wait to join Little S and perhaps others to the Johnson household. Please continue to keep Alyzza in your prayers during this time of adjustment as well as the situation that is holding back Little S's adoption. We appreciate it!:)

So, where have I been?

In recent weeks, I have been emailed by a few friends asking where I have been lately. I'm sure you've all noticed my absence on this blog that has lasted longer than I anticipated--six months to be exact! 

This momma has been busy with life in general. In these last several months, there has been heart ache, answer to prayer, celebrations, transitions, and tons of organization around the house! We have seen the girls grow in many areas and we've grown as a family. Here are some highlights to catch you up on everything!

1.  In March, we celebrated A's one-year anniversary! Although it was a joyous time in our eyes, for her it was a struggle because it brought back memories and some uncertainties in her heart. So, this brought me tons of heart ache. Lots of tears on both ends left me wondering if I could handle being a foster mom any more. Parenting is a hard job, but when you are dealing with a five-year-old who has had lots of scars in her life, it makes this job even harder. We prayed lots (and continue to do so) during the spring and summer for things to smooth out with her.

2.  Crafting has become a rare occasion around here, but instead, I've been organizing many areas of our home. It started with the girls' rooms and now, I'm working on the basement. Although A's room is decorated, Little S' room is not so much. The basement has come a long ways, but it is so worth it. I have boxes of kids' clothing all labeled, which is what the majority of the stuff is down there. This spring, we switched rooms with Little S', so my room isn't feeling very homey yet. My sewing machine is set up, but I have yet to figure out how I'm going to set up notions and such.

3.  In May, we heard about a glitch in Little S' adoption process. Even though it is something beyond our control, we are determined to prayerfully get it settled so we can move ahead and adopt her. I can't go into any details here, but if you think of it, can you pray for this situation? We should know more specifics in October.

4.  We went to California for a conference and family vacation in June. While Q and I went to sessions designed especially for those in ministry, the girls had child care workers who kept them busy with lots of fun stuff to do. A huge highlight of that time was for A to meet Patch the Pirate! We even took a picture with him. Then, after a few days, we headed up north to be with my side of the family. Everyone there fell in love with the girls. We had so much fun doing things around the Bay Area and just hanging out together.

5.  In July, we began getting things ready for A to start school. We enrolled her in a Christian school knowing that her adoption day was close. At the end of July, we received an email saying that the finalization of adoption was happening on August 21. It was also Little S' 2nd birthday! So, on that day, we celebrated her joining our family. We had Q's sister and family and some close friends join us in the court room. Then, we had a party at a park nearby with some additional folks who have prayed during this journey. Thanks to all of you who have prayed for this day to happen. She has been our daughter for over a year, but in the eyes of the state, she has been our daughter for almost a week now. Continue to pray for us as we go through some "growing pains" post-adoption. Lots of conversations and tears have already happened, but at least now we all know she's here for keeps.:)

And now, may I introduce to you Miss A, who we've kept her first name the same, but we've changed her middle name to Joy (named after Aunt Abigail and cousin Annalina who share the same name!:)

Here's Alyzza Joy Johnson....

We could not share her name or picture up until now because of foster care regulations. I will have more pictures and details about her adoption day later. For now, I hope I've caught you all up on what's happening in the Johnson household and given you additional things to pray for.  Love you all.--Theo

Homemade Sugar Scrub

Here's another fun idea that we did at one of our M.O.P.S. meetings--homemade sugar scrub!

This would make a great gift for a new mom, for Mother's Day, a birthday, or even for a stressful mom (we all may know one, eh?). This would make her day!

It's so easy to put together, too. Mix one cup white sugar with one cup brown sugar in a bowl. Then, add one cup vegetable oil to the mix. Add a couple drops of a scented oil (mine has eucalyptus in it.) That's all there is to it. When you're done, the scrub will look like this:

When you're mixing a batch to give away, why don't you make some for yourself, too. :)

A's 100th day of school

This is a little late in posting, but I wanted to share what we did for A's 100th day of school. It took place about a week before Valentine's Day, but it didn't happen on the day she thought it would. You see, we had a huge snowstorm which cancelled school. When I told her that morning, she was disappointed, but I reassured her that the 100th day of school would still happen next Monday morning.

To get ready, I had an idea for a special gift for her teacher--100 kisses in a jar. She counted them by placing them in sets of ten on the table.

Then, we made mini donuts. I didn't make 100 of them, just enough for each child to have two. Because I had made them the day before the snow storm, I knew that they wouldn't last over the weekend. So, A made deliveries to our neighbors. It was a welcome treat on a very snowy day.

On Sunday afternoon, we worked on another batch--still as yummy as the first. I found the recipe here. They have the perfect touch of lemon in them!

We melted vanilla bark coating and dipped each one. A had fun adding the sprinkles. Her class loved them!

As for her 100th day project, she came up with something very different--nothing like what I saw when I taught school. She counted out 100 Q-tips and put them in a jar! Have any of you ever heard of that project? She did a great job and had a fun day at school celebrating 100 days of growing smarter.:)

Awesome possum!

Here's a fun project that I did at my M.O.P.S. group right before Christmas. We were given a clear plate to decorate with paint markers. The goal of this was to design a plate that can be used for a celebration--a birthday, holiday, or a big accomplishment.

One of my favorite things to say to a child when they do something great is "Awesome possum!" I used it all the time when I taught, and now I say it to our girls. I knew that's what I wanted to do on my plate, so I first drew a little girl and wrote the saying on the plate. Others did their own drawings like I did while others used a print-out of a favorite cartoon character to embellish theirs.

We traced our design using a black dry erase marker. Then, we were able to trace the lines on the underside of the plate using paint markers. We used a clear sealant so that the paint doesn't wash off. They are still delicate and can only be hand-washed, so be careful if you do this.

Here's what my plate looks like:

It was such a fun and relaxing way to get creative with the ladies in my group. It will be awesome to use this when the girls accomplish something great. From having a great day at school to doing a job without being told (and perhaps in the midst of potty training this summer with Little S!), this plate can be a huge way to encourage the recipient. They can use it for a meal, a dessert, or even all day--yipee! I can't wait!:)

Listening sheets

I've been using listening sheets with A for the past couple of months as a way to train her to listen carefully to a sermon in church. It has been a wonderful thing to keep her involved and quiet during the church service.

When she first came to live with us (last March), I put together a bag of things for her to do during the service. Inside of it would be a coloring book, pencils, crayons, and a Bible. But, when I found this link to the listening sheets, I eliminated the coloring book. If she needs to have a change of pace for a while, then I photocopy a Bible coloring sheet. I want her focus to be on things of the Lord, and not just "fillers" that she can do at home, school or anywhere else.

So, are you ready to check it out for yourself? There are a few options to choose from (readers, non-readers and older children), so click on the link and print away! I know these will be a blessing to you as they have been to us and others we have shared them with in our church.