Created for Care Fun

Last weekend I was so excited to be able to attend the Created for Care retreat, an awesome getaway retreat for adoptive mamas.  I had been wanting to go for the last couple of years, but wasn't sure where we'd be in the adoption process.  So needless to say, this year I was determined to go!  I was supposed to go with a couple of friends who ended up not being able to go, but I still went (and am SO glad I did!).  I drove down to Atlanta by myself Friday morning (after a slightly tearful goodbye when dropping Hayes off at school) and arrived around 1:00.  Since it was sort of last minute that I ended up going alone, I had a room to myself.  This tired mama did not mind that one bit!

The weekend was a wonderful time to rest, and be refreshed and renewed.  It was so incredible to be in a room with over 450 mamas who also have a heart for adoption.  The times of worship were some of the most amazing I've ever experienced (and the singing was beautiful too!).  I got to "meet" some of my fellow adoption mamas that I've met via Facebook, blogs, etc.  I also got to meet some of my very favorite bloggers!

Throughout the weekend I continued to pray for God's will for the next step for our family.  I'm still processing everything that I took in, so more blog posts to come soon!

Sadly, I was having so much fun, that I didn't take many pictures!  Here are the ONLY two that I took!  I've got to post it to prove to the hubby that I was actually there!

{Above: Me with my sweet new friends Wynne and Bobi}

More from my amazing weekend to come soon!  Happy snow day y'all (for those of us in Tennessee!)!

Bringing Mary Home Handmade Auction

I just LOVE hearing about other adoptive families' fundraisers and helping spread the word.  This week the Dinsmore family (you know, Lara the Farmer's Wife?) is having an online auction to raise money to help bring their sweet daughter Mary home from Uganda.  Check out this video to find out more about their 2nd adoption:



Amazing, right?  So head over to their auction and show some love.  Christmas is just around the corner.  Start your shopping early!  Their auction is full of awesome handmade items. Here are a few of my favorites:

Here's the link to the auction.  The auction ends Thursday at 11:59 PM, so hurry on over!  I donated some of our tshirts and magazine bead necklaces we had leftover from our fundraising, so head on over and check it out!

Crib Ordered!

Since we'll be headed to court in Ethiopia on April 24th (read Friday's post here in case you missed our big news!), we thought it might be time to order this sweet boy a crib!

I've always had my eye on the Jenny Lind Spindle Crib.  I love the simple, classic spindle design.  We ordered ours from amazon for a pretty good price.

Here are a few beautiful nurseries that feature the Jenny Lind crib....

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Nursery Chandelier

Disclaimer: If you're tired of reading nursery posts, stop reading now.  And beware there are several more to come in the future. If you're not tired of it, and have missed other nursery posts, click here, here, and here.

A few months ago I e-mailed the fabulous Laurel-Dawn from Abode Love (seriously if you've never seen her blog, you MUST check her out!  SOOO talented!) to see if she could help me make some design decisions for our nursery.  She sweetly agreed and offered to do it at a discounted rate since we are adopting.

Well let me tell you, she has totally captured my vision and helped me with some BIG nursery decisions....like fabric, some wall art, and lighting!  Here is the fabulous chandelier that she picked out.  You can find it here on Overstock.  I originally thought I wanted a gold light fixture to go with the glam feel of the room.  She thought this one would be more substantial and tie in with some of the black accents we have planned.  Also, it just looks more masculine than a gold one!  And I couldn't agree more!

I ordered it from Overstock 2 days and there it was sitting on my front porch when I got home yesterday.  Now that's service!  We haven't unpacked it yet, but I'll be sure to take pictures of it hung in place.  I can't wait to hang this beaut!

What do you think, Wayman Family Nesters?  How did she do on her pick?  So far I'm loving it!

Hannah James' Partnering Family

Remember back in December when we were one of Hannah James' partnering families?  In case you wanted to order some FABULOUS jewelry but forgot, you can still do that.  You can purchase from Hannah James {storenvy}.  Be sure to put "Wayman Family Adoption" in your note to the seller.  50% of the profits help us bring our little home.  And 50% help bring her little one home.

It's definitelly a win-win for everyone! Head on over to check out more of her pretty things.

Here's just a few of my favorite things from her shop:

See something you like?  Didn't get what you want for Valentine's Day?  Have a bad day and think you deserve something pretty?  Do you like to support adoption? 

If you said yes to any of those questions, head on over to Hannah James shop now!

Give Hope Lunch Total

Happy Monday Wayman Family Nesters!

Yesterday I realized that I hadn't updated you on our fundraiser lunch we had 2 weeks ago.  I hope to have pictures that my sweet sister took later this week (she's a BUSY college girl!), but for now, I'll just share the total....

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Almost $7,000!

Can you believe it?!   I hardly can!  God has truly provided for our adoption along the way.  A BIG thank you to all of our sweet friends and family who helped us put the event on and also those of you who came to eat.  We couldn't have done it without you!  And  a BIG thank you to the wonderful people at 1Seed for making this event possible.  You are truly blessing many families with your work.

If you haven't checked out this amazing organization, do it now!  Thety are doing amazing things for adoptive families!

Guest Posting at Le Musings of Moi

Happy Monday, Wayman Family Nesters!  I'm so excited to be sharing our little abode over at Le Musings of Moi today. 



So head on over and check out Summer's fabulous blog.  It's one of my favorite reads.  Her writing is refreshingly honest.  Trust me!  You won't be disappointed!  A BIG thank you to Summer for having me!

Guest Nest: Just A Touch Of Gray

Good morning, Wayman Family Nesters!  I'm excited to share with you another home from my "Guest Nest" series!  (the first one was WAY back in August.  Read here in case you missed out!)  I got so busy with our adoption, school starting back, etc, that the series fell by the wayside!  I'm excited today to feature the home of the fabulous Rachel from Just A Touch of Gray!  I asked her to describe her favorite "nook" in her home.  I'll let her beautiful home speak for itself!  Enjoy!

I'm very excited to be here on The Wayman Family Nest and share my favorite space or nook in our house. I have lots of favorite areas but when she used the word "nook" our master bathroom came to mind. Why you ask? Well because it's small. Then I googled the word nook and the first definition that came up was:

          "A small corner, alcove, or recess, especially one in a large room."

Yup, I think our master bathroom could easily be considered a small corner of our master bedroom. Hah, but hey, at least we have an en suite! :) In all seriousness I absolutely love our master bathroom. When we started our renovation we knew we had to get rid of all that 1960 blue, but we were also on a budget. We painted the walls a light grey, replaced the toilet (ahh, white!), and covered the wall tile with beadboard. We fell in love with a furniture inspired vanity piece and adhered a gorgeous marble top and over mount sink right on top. Then looking around we actually loved the blue floor with it all. It was just the pop of color our tiny bathroom needed. And I love the idea of keeping that "original" touch to the house. Vintage charm at it's finest! Hope you like it... we sure do!

You can read more about how we did it {here} and {here}.

Thanks again Jennifer for having me share my Nest!

Master Bathroom

 

Master Bedroom



 

Living Room 

Hallway

Guest Bedroom

Want to see more of her fabulous home?  Be sure to check out her blog!  Definitely check out the before pictures as well.  She and her hubby have done an A-M-A-Z-I-N-G job!  Thanks for sharing Rachel!

Friday Finds: A Little Holiday Pinspiration

Hello, Wayman Family Nesters!  Sorry for my 2 weeks off, but my mind has been a little preoccupied lately (I hope to be able to share with you next week.  Sorry for keeping you on pins and needles!).

I'm back today to share a little holiday pinspiration with you.  Here's a few of my favorite holiday decor ideas from the always amazing Pinterest.

I think these beautiful globes are F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!  I bought some supplies a couple of weeks ago to try my hand at my own version, but I still need to find my own little trees.  Michael's only had a bag of assorted sizes for $20 and I was NOT about to pay that!  I'll be sure to report back to you when I complete the project!

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I'm loving this red and white bunting.  This is another little project I've got planned for our tree (Which we have yet to buy by the way.  But I have grand plans, so don't you worry!).  I'm envisioning this bunting with a burlap tree skirt.  What do you think?

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When I saw this post on the fabulous Emily Clark's blog, I knew this was the perfect solution to display all of our Christmas cards.  I have yet to try it out (I really need to get crackin' on all of these projects-I'm definitely behind this year.  Eeeek!), but I'll be sure to show you picture of the finished product!

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Here's a little DIY snowglobe project.  So cute and I bet your kiddies would love it!  I saw another one pinned where they put gift cards inside-believe me, it was WAY too cute!  What a creative way to spice up giving a gift card!

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Want a cheap way to glam up your holiday decor?  Go grab a can of sprapaint and some twigs in your back yard and go to town!  When they're dry, put them in a vase and voila!  Cheap and chic decor!

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Obviously I've got these jars on the brain right now.  These are so adorable!  Can't wait to try mine!  Can you ever go wrong with glitter?!  (please don't answer that because I don't think you can!)

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How cute is this untraditional wall tree?  I love this unique tree composed of "useless but pretty objects" (according to the creator).  Definitely a one-of-a-kind that would be sure to make a statement!

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So hopefully you're feeling inspired on this happy Friday, my Wayman Family Nesters!  I know I am!  It's time for me to get going on our Christmas decor.  I figure better late than never!  What about you, Wayman Family Nesters?  Do you have any fun Christmas crafts and decorating going on this weekend?

Happy Friday!

Hannah James' Partnering Family

I'm so excited to tell you that we are one of Hannah James' partnering families for the months of November and December! 

What does this mean? 

It means that you should go shopping.  Go shopping for yourself.  And while you're at go ahead and do a little lot of Christmas shopping. You can purchase from Hannah James {storenvy}.  There are several partnering families for the holiday season so be sure to include something like "Wayman Family Adoption" in your note to the seller.  50% of the profits help us bring our little home.  And 50% help bring her little one home.

So, it's a win-win! Head on over to check out more of her pretty things!