Dossier is ALMOST complete (And Other Friday Randomness)

Today when I got home from work, I was excited to find the remaining 2 documents we needed for our dossier had come in the mail from our agency.  The next steps will be to get them notarized at the county clerk and then head downtown for the state seal.  After that, it will be off to Ethiopia!  Woo hoo!

This week we also received our notice from USCIS saying that our application was being processed and we would be receiving our fingerprinting appointment soon!

When I came home today, I also had received my IKEA gift card that I won from Young House Love and blogged about here a couple of weeks ago.  And much to my surprise, it was a gift card for $200, not $100!  But don't worry, I'll be sending an e-mail tomorrow letting them know their mistake.  I teach America's children for crying out loud.  I have to be honest! 



Don't forget that tomorrow at midnight is the LAST CHANCE to enter our t-shirt giveaway over at Lovin' Life. 

Happy Friday Wayman Family Nesters!

Give Hope Tshirt Giveaway at Lovin' Life

My sweet blogger friend Alison (who is also a future fellow adoptive mama!) is hosting a giveaway of one of our Africa Give Hope shirts over on her fabulous blog. 

The giveaway ends on Friday, October 28th at midnight, CST. She will announce the WINNER this Saturday, October 29th!!!
Wanna know how to enter?  Then head on over to Lovin' Much to check it out!

Airport Homecoming

On Saturday the hubby and I attended our first ever adoption airport homecoming!  It was for my sweet high school friend Katie and her hubby Brent.  We are using the same agency and she's been a HUGE help to me when I've had questions along the way.  They also happen to live right around the corner for us, so I'm seeing playdates in the future!  (Side note: We drove past their house on the way to the airport and saw that a banner reading "Welcome Home Lucy" had been hung up under their carport and I instantly started to cry.  So the tears came before I even made it to the airport!)

About 30 minutes before we needed to leave, I decided I just HAD to make sweet Lucy a sign, so here's what I whipped up...

Here's a picture of some of us waiting excitedly for them to arrive!

And here's a video of the newly expanded family!  (A big thank you to my friend Beth for her video. I was shaking so much with excitement that mine is a wash!). 

Here's a shot of some of Lucy's friends and family welcoming her home!

And here's a picture of the family of three!

I was so excited to get to share in their special day.  It was such a beautiful, emotional event to witness. Congratulations to the new mommy and daddy!  We're so happy for you!  And Lucy, we are so glad that you're home.  Many prayers have been lifted up on your behalf and you are already such a blessing to your family!

Happy Monday everyone!

Africa Beads for Sale

If you've been wanting one of the famous African magazine bead necklaces made by an amazing group of women in Uganda, here's your chance!  The Karamojong women create these beautiful necklaces by hand and from recycled paper.

This Saturday from 10:00-2:00 I will be part of a Holiday Open House in Cool Springs.  It's never a bad idea to get a little shopping done early, right???  These beads would make great gifts for a friend or for yourself!

Address (Behind Cracker Barrell and the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace Building):
The Finishes Group
7104 Crossroads Blvd.
Suite 112
Brentwood, TN 27027

We'll still be selling these necklaces as one of 147 Million Orphans' fundraising families.  If you would like one of the necklaces, or one of their awesome shirts or other products, feel free to e-mail me at jenwayman@gmail.com and I will place and order for you!

Goodwill Goodies Get a Makeover!

Last week I posted here about my fabulous Goodwill finds.  Well, I'm excited to show you after pictures of a a small project that I tackled.  And by small, I mean I sprayed them with some gold spray paint!  But I'm happy with how they turned out.

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Overall I'm happy with how they turned out!  I love the bit of glam that the gold adds to our home.  What about you, Wayman Family Nesters? What little projects have you tackled lately that make you happy?

I-600A In the Mail!

The end of the paperchase is in sight!!! Saturday afternoon we mailed off our I-600A, which I explained the details about on Friday here. 

Here it is... ready to go to Texas! 

We were so excited to be 1 step closer to little Hayes that the hubby was snapping pictures of me in the post office! 

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is within the Department of Homeland Security. The approval from USCIS gives permission for Hayes to enter the United States! So this is a very important piece of paper!

Once the USCIS receives and processes our form, we will be issued an appointment to be fingerprinted. Then the fingerprints will be sent to the FBI to be processed. Yes, more fingerprints!  When our file is complete and our fingerprints are cleared, we should receive our FDL (Favorable Determination Letter) in the mail. Then we will officially be able to bring Hayes home!

This process can take several months, so we feel very fortunate that our agency, CCI, allows us to go ahead and get on the waiting list before completing this step!

I'm working to complete our dossier (the rest of our paperwork) this week, so we're hoping to be on the waitlist in the next couple of weeks!

Homestudy Approved!

F-I-N-A-L-L-Y!  I am so excited to say that our homestudy was approved yesterday afternoon. I was at work when I found out, so of course I had to run around telling my teacher friends!

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So, what's next?  On Monday we'll go to our homestudy agency to pick up the paperwork they have for us.  This will be the last of what we need for our Dossier!  We will also need to file our I-600a.  For those of you not in the adoption world, in order to adopt internationally, you must obtain permission from United States Citizen and Imigration Services (USCIS). In order to obtain permission, USCIS requires that you file an appication and submit supporting documents in order for them to make a determination.  The form to submit for approval is called the I-600a.  Filing of the I-600a will result in your approval (or denial) to adopt internationally. 

So that's where we are right now.  Moving right along now!  So as you can see, I'm having a fantastic Friday and hope you are too Wayman Family Nesters!

I Won Something!

I was so excited last night when I checked my e-mail and had a message from THE John and Sherry Petersik from Young House Love.  The subject said "Great News From Young House Love."  A couple of days ago I entered their contest to win a $100 gift card to IKEA.  And out of 5,416 comments, I was one of two winners!!!  I had to call one of my sister's last night to share my good news!  She is also a big fan of Young House Love.

I had my eye on a bookcase for the nursery, so we'll see what I end up with!  I'll be sure to keep you posted when we make a purchase.  And if you've never checked out their blog, drop what you're doing at do it now.  You won't be disappointed!

This is the second exciting thing I've ever won.  When I was in middle school, I won 2 plane tickets to anywhere in the United States.  What about you, Wayman Family Nesters?  What's the coolest thing you've ever won? 

Friday Finds

Monogram Love!

I just love a good monogram just about as good as the next person, so today I thought I'd share of few of my favorite finds!  Enjoy!

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What about you, Wayman Family Nesters?  Do you share my love of monogams?  Happy Friday all!

Goodwill Goodies

This past Saturday, the hubby and I, along with my sister and her boyfriend hit up a couple of local Goodwills looking for outfits for dress up days they were having at work.  (Side note: the hubby found some awesome Nascar gear for Sports Day today)  And for those of you who didn't know, at Goodwill everything is 1/2 off on the first Saturday of the month.  Score!!!

Of course, I had to take pictures of the gems I ended up with! 
I thought this lamp would be adorable spray painted white. Kind of granny shabby chic!  And at $1.50, it was definitely in the budget!

I couldn't resist this dainty little frame.  I love the bow and the gold piping.I think it would be PERFECT in a little girl's nursery one day, but for now, I'll find a spot for it in our house.  I HAD to get it since it was only $2!

I snagged this backpack for $1 for one of my nephew's birthday presents next week.  It is in great shape and hardly looks used.  He loves pirates, so I thought this was perfect!

 Warning!  Another little girl purchase (NO, I'm not trying to tell you something!).  I thought this sweater was WAY cute and retro looking.  I told the hubby I wasn't going to get it since we have no need for it.  His response was, "We'll stick it in a drawer somewhere.  It's $1."  He's a keeper!  Watch out ladies, he's all mine! : )

Sorry for the blury picture of the bird.  I thought it would be cute spray painted gold or even leaving it as is!  I have a thing for birds, so I couldn't resist this guy at $1.25!

In keeping with the bird theme, I snagged these 2 swans for $3 for the pair.  They aren't a set, but I thought they would be cute as a pair of bookends.  And have no fear! They WILL be getting a coat of gold spray paint to glam them up!

I saved the BEST find for last!  When I saw these adorable striped RALPH LAUREN juice glasses, I quickly snatched them up!  I kept thinking to myself, "Who would get rid of these???"  Well, their loss is my gain!  And at $.50 each, they were QUITE the bargain!

I decided to use the cheery yellow one as a vase to display flowers that some of my sweet students had given me.  It definitely livens up our living room.

Stay tuned next week to see some of my Goodwill finds get glamified!

What about you bargain shoppers?  Any awesome Goodwill/thrift store finds lately that you HAVE to share?

Roomspiration Blog Hop & Link Party: Laundry/Mudrooms Edition

Today it's all about laundry rooms and mud rooms at the Roomspiration Blog Hop & Link Party.  Since our laundry room is nothing to write home about, I thought I'd share some of my DREAM laundry and mud rooms!

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Be sure to check out more laundry and mud room inspiration over at The Mustard Ceiling!