They sparkle like stars...

So I thought their room should too... 

Big changes from the purple stripes and green diamonds!

To see the before, a fairly old before click below: 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171770173259827336/

The "flower box" was the window valance that hubby and I made our first baby about

15 years ago, it's been SEVERAL colors and is now being repurposed as a "window box" 

 The red blanket on the bed is just such a treasure and was purchased from: 

Dignify

The ballet barre was a gift from their biggest brother for Christmas,

he actually made it for them!

I just repainted an old mirror I had stored away in a closet for above.

Imagine my complete EXCITEMENT when I found these beautiful antique ballerinas at

Vintage Market and Design one day... 

How perfect they are for my little blossoming ballerina star!

I found this free printable here: 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/171770173266196685/

Even the peg dolls got a fresh room makeover! 

 I created this light-switch cover by adhering sheet music to the boring plastic cover...

One of both Princess Chocolate Curl's and I's favorite items in the room, is her bunny

found at Vintage Market and Design

 Behind the dresser and curtain? 

why it's their playhouse of course!

Believe it or not, this project actually only cost me about $35.00 total, 

mainly because I used paint I already had in the garage and I didn't buy anything new except for the ballerinas, drawer knobs on the nightstand and the paper stars.

I just refinished things and repurposed them!

What do you think?

I think their faces say it all...

 Oh and the quilt was mine as a teen, so it is special and repurposed too!  

move forward Church...

I'm upset. 

Now, upset is putting it quite mildly. 

I'm upset with the way that our country as a whole cares for orphans

We generally suck.

Yep, I just said that.

Church, you have got to wake up;

you have got to step in and take the care of these precious fragile children back.

It's our job

Seriously, I hear all the time "well I just don't know how that would work"

Guess what; me either, 

but how about we stop scratching our heads and

figure it out

and do it before yet another child falls into state custody.

I get it, they try... sorta, but the truth is, they lie a lot too.

They don't believe in telling the truth, believe me... 

we've been there and we've been asked to lie. 

Thankfully the Lord interfered with the social workers best plans and 

prevented us from being expected to lie to our daughter.

But I still feel appalled that we were even asked to lie to her.

We need to really figure out from a biblical perspective HOW to reach out

to these hurting, traumatized children and show them 

REAL

unconditional love. 

Not just, hey you live here until you screw up to big; and then we'll move you again.

No, these kids need parents who are TRAINED, not warned and scared

but actually trained how to parent these kids

to understand the manipulation and lies and rages that comes from them

and meet them in a correct way to help these kids learn to heal.

Not this garbage of saying "well, it's not their fault" blah blah blah...

We HAVE got to prepare foster and adoptive families better church, 

we need to get our backsides into gear and support those who are called to adopt better.

Educate ourselves so that we too can see the manipulation and stand alongside

the families that have taken on a seemingly insurmountable task.

 it CAN be done, it just requires a whole lot of sacrifice on our part.

we have to give up the "american dream" so to speak, because life after trauma

is not an easy polished pretty picture on your wall.

It's hours upon hours; years upon years

 of agonizing and processing and repeating the same lessons

and forgiveness and love

over and over again with a huge possibility of no return ever.

But it's worth it...

Please Church, wake up, start taking this back over.

I'm not going to lie, it will be one of the hardest things you do

but redemption though costly bloody and ugly is the most beautiful thing in this entire world...

Remember, you've been redeemed through Christ...

now turn around and be 

His hands and feet the children who need to

be given the same? 

I don't have all the answers, but there ARE Christians out there who ARE figuring this out

need resources? 

Here are a few:

The Forgotten Initiative 

(which I am a coordinator for, so feel free to shoot any questions my way!) 

The Bair Foundation

Adoption Assistance Agency

Anything by Karyn Purvis is a great tool

Empowered to connect

I'm partway through reading a book that I also find helpful from a biblical perspective:

Parenting the Difficult Child

A biblical perspective on reactive attachment disorder

oldest and youngest..

Every once in a while I just have to adventure... 

Yesterday was one of those days, these moments we are living in right now

are so very fleeting and I have wanted to capture exactly what the relationship 

between youngest and oldest is right now!

puppy love

Princesses

Cousin Valentines