Adoption Update

Hey friends. If you haven't heard by now, we're adopting!! For the full story, go back one post and read and the details!

Several of you have been asking how things are going and where we're at right now in the process. Our application was filed on January 4. It is now March 10, so we are just over two months into this (typically the process takes 18-24 months). We have had all of our home study documents in place for about one month. We have had both of our home visits from our social worker. We are still waiting on one document that was misplaced or lost somewhere along the line (a clearance from when I lived in Mississippi). Once that is in and our social worker is able to connect with our local children and youth office to review our home study from when we were foster parents, THEN our home study should be written up, reviewed and finalized. Our social worker is hoping that she will have her first write up for us to review on Monday, March 14. However, she was having some difficulty getting in contact with Children and Youth. I'm hopeful that by the end of March we will have our home study finalized.

Can't wait until Little Sister is the one on Anne's lap!

As we have had these documents in place for awhile we began plowing ahead to gather the necessary paperwork for our dossier (another set of papers which will be sent to China). At this point we are waiting for one more reference and need to get one more paper notarized. Once we have those two things we will send that packet of papers to our agency's main branch in Oregon. We have opted to have them process all the dossier paperwork to get the special certifications and authentications. These things are very confusing and involve considerable amounts of time. For their fee we felt this was certainly worth it. I'm hoping to get the notary done on Saturday and it just depends when our friend gets time to write our last referral letter. Hopefully I will be sending these documents to Oregon next week.

So, to make a long story short, we're closing in on the paperwork part of our journey! That is a huge weight off our shoulders. There will still be some paperwork (filing for immigration, etc.), but mostly there will be waiting.

While we wait for paperwork to process and eventually we will be waiting to be matched with our daughter we will be doing some fundraising. As many of you know, adoption is very expensive, we were told to budget approximately $35,000. I'll post more about fundraising at a later date. For now, I'd absolutely love if you would PRAY for our remaining paperwork to go through smoothly, and for our daughter in China. Although we aren't matched with her yet, more than likely she has been born recently. We would love if you would pray for her birth family as well as her current caretakers.

Thanks, everyone!

xoxo,

Mama Hess

The year of Hope :: Explained

Friends, I've been holding out on you. I apologize. I'm terrible at keeping secrets and this is such a big one.

Spirit lead me Available in my shop: HERE

But maybe you can guess.

I'm not getting enough sleep.

And I am going to lots of appointments.

And if you catch me on a good day you might say I'm glowing. (On not so good days I might be crying).

Friends, I am beyond thrilled to announce to you all that our family is growing.

Wood flash card available in my shop: HERE

We are in the midst of mountains of paperwork and clearances, and FBI fingerprints, and birth certificates and more paperwork.

I cried when this came in the mail.

We are adopting!

This song has been one that has been really meaningful to me: No Longer Slaves // I am especially encouraged by the words "You split the sea so I could walk right through it". I have been praying for the "seas of paperwork" to split so we can walk right through. And I believe that is happening!

So this year, 2016: the year of Hope, our hope is focused on our adoption.

Add caption

I'm going to answer some of the questions that I've been asked so far.

1. Q. Where are you adopting from (domestic/international).
     A. We are adopting internationally from China.

Big sister, Caroline finding China on the globe

 2. Q. So you are you finally going to have a boy??
    A. No. Although there is a great need in China for families to adopt boys, after much prayer and consideration we have decided on another girl.

Just as the other girls kissed my belly when pregnant, Caroline is kissing "Little Sister" on the globe.

3. Q. How old will she be?
    A. We don't really know - probably about two years old when we bring her home.

4. Q. How long does it take?
    A. About two years. China has a very steady, predictable program, and the current time frame for girls is about two years. Based on that, we anticipate bringing our daughter home January, 2018.

These ladies are all so excited to have another sister! I'll need a new hashtag: #hessgirlsx5

5. Q. Do you have to go to China?
    A. Yes. We will go to China to bring our daughter home and will be out of the country for about two weeks.

6. Q. Why go to China when there are children in the United States who need families?
    A. This is a tough one. As many of you know we did foster care a few years ago. Not all children who are in foster care will be adopted, in fact, many of them won't. We felt that the back and forth (between visits to birth family and special appointments) was too difficult for our family and would rather settle in with one child who we can help to nurture and grow.

Maggie is a natural little Mommy. She's eager to meet her sister and prays for her and her birth mom.

7. Q. So you're adopting a healthy infant girl? (Actually this isn't usually a question because it is assumed).
   A. While this used to be the norm for China adoptions it is no longer the case.  In fact, there are more boys than girls who need families in China right now. And all the children who need families right now are special needs. Special needs may be something such as cleft lip, cleft palate, webbed fingers, or a birth mark. There are many other special needs many which are easily manageable and/or correctable.

Anything I missed? Please feel free to ask questions. I'm not politically correct so don't worry if you feel like you don't have the "right language" to ask. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Enjoy this live version of Hillsong United singing "Oceans". Such a lovely song that has been an encouragement to me during this process so far.

{UN} Inhibitited

I'm not really much of a crier. I used to be, back when I was a tween and teen. I think I cried buckets at age 12. Thankfully those emotions settled significantly by the time I got married at 20.

Yesterday I was scrolling through Instagram hashtags, and I'm not exactly sure how I stumbled on it, but I came across a personal IG of a home school mom. She was sharing about her daughter who just turned 13 and how she has maintained so much of her innocence by being home schooled.

Friends, if you knew me, really knew me, back in high school I'm sure you find it extremely bizarre the way I am talking now. But I want to attempt to convey something that was so beautiful to me that it brought me to tears, like actual tears flowing from my eyeballs. At dinner last evening as I was explaining it to Trent I had to stop talking because I was sure I would start crying and not be able to stop.

First, let me just preface this by saying that home school is NOT for everyone. PLEASE do not take what I am going to say as a personal judgement against your decision for whatever schooling you have chosen for your children. I know so many people love the schools they are a part of, and I celebrate that with you! So please do not take my words in the wrong way. Instead, celebrate with me. All of us parents are just doing the best we can with what we have been given. Thanks! :)

As a middle and high schooler I had limited experience with kids who were home schooled. In general, I thought they were weird. I don't know where I got this idea but regardless, it was there. I had this preconceived notion that home school = weird. I didn't want weird; I wanted to fit in. However, when you are trying so hard to fit in with everybody else, you lose so much of who YOU are. I was constantly comparing myself to other girls, modeling my speech, hair, clothes, athletic ability, test scores, etc. against everyone else. If someone I thought was "cool" was taking photography, then I tried it, too. And here's the clincher, even if I had NO interest in the subject I would do it just to try to keep up and fit in with everyone else. It was exhausting. And it was not fun. Some of my worst grades in school came from taking classes I had zero interest in but signed up because "everyone else was doing it". Cliche, but true.

This week I have been slammed with several unexpected gifts of homeschooling. I'd love to share some of them with you!

1. Limited stress :: there is so much stress associated with school these days. I was talking with my former Kindergarten teacher a couple of weeks ago. She still teaches "Kindergarten" but what they now call Kindergarten is what used to be first grade. There is so much pressure to push kids forward into levels of thinking that they are NOT all ready for. When I was in Kindergarten, some children were not ready to move on to first grade, so they would go to this awesome thing called "Pre-First". I will be sharing more about this in a future blog post.... But with homeschooling, while I hold my children to high standards, they are not subjected to a lot of tests. My girls LOVE to learn, and I love to learn along side of them.

Abbey enjoying a game at the library.

2. Mornings :: I'm not a morning person. I don't have the worries of missing the bus. {Which I had loads of experience with all my life.} If one child needs to sleep a little later in the morning, I let her sleep. While I do try to stick to a schedule because I think it's good for the kids to have consistency, I do not hold to an exact time. Generally we like to start school at 9ish. However, today it was closer to 10.

This morning, when we all needed just a few more minutes in bed.

3. Children :: my children get to be children. They get to color and draw while I teach school. This helps them to be in their seats the whole time I need them to be. They get to go outside, run, and play. If they experienced a challenging math lesson they can take 10 minutes to clear their head by swinging outside or riding their bikes. It's wonderful.

Pretend sleeping in the bath.

4. Vacation :: we don't have to ask permission to take our children on vacation. We went to the beach after Labor day last year, the house rental was cheaper and the beaches were deserted. It was the best vacation we have ever had. Also, Trent and I went away to celebrate our 10th anniversary and we were able to leave the kids with his parents and, while I gave them some assignments to do while we were gone, I wasn't worried that they were getting behind and Trent's parents didn't have to worry about getting them to and from school.

The girls helping make dinner.

5. {UN} Inhibited :: my girls have the chance to be themselves. They are subject to little to no peer pressure. They are not bullied or teased {except occasionally by each other }. They have the opportunity to have their lives built firmly on the Truth of God's word. To me, this has been the best thing. My hope is that they are building such a firm foundation that when the time comes for them to go out into the world that they will not be swayed by peer pressure; that they will be so confident in who they are as children of God that it won't matter to them if others consider them to be a little "weird". I'm concerned that sometimes, as Christians, we look SO MUCH like the world that we are no longer distinguishable. I want to shine the bright hope that Jesus has to offer to our dark world. So, if when my girls are 13 and they still hardly wear shoes and they run in the woods and climb trees, then I will give God the praise for their freedom to be themselves. The freedom to not conform to the world or what the world expects a 13-year-old girl to be like. The freedom to express themselves through whatever THEY enjoy, not what they want others to think they enjoy.

Dance party craziness.

Don't get me wrong, there are definitely challenges that go along with this day-to-day job of home schooling. For me, for right now, the benefits far outweigh the costs.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21
Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.

Painting goals for 2016

I have a confession to make. I am a terrible sales person. One of my first jobs was as a photographer at JC Penney. I was okay (not great) at taking the photos. I was decidedly awful at selling them. Also, just a word to you parents out there. Please be nice to your photographer.  **Side note: two of my sisters also worked at the portrait studio and one of them is extremely talented and runs her own photography business. Find her work here!**  Many a parent made me cry with their harsh words when I was a teenage photographer. I decided that I would not go into a profession where I had to sell anything.

Ha. Hahahaha! My job after that was working as a waitress at Olive Garden. Of course, managers want you to sell more (more appetizers, more alcohol, more higher priced items). I did better with job here since it involved talking to people (no trouble there), but I was the least pushy person when it came to selling anything.

Throughout those Olive Garden years I was in school for teaching. Where I didn't have to sell anything.

So you can see how shocking it was to find myself owning a teeny tiny business. Where I sell things. I strive to let my products sell themselves. I hope you never find me a pushy salesperson. I doubt you will, since I tend to despise those people. (No offense to those of you who are "good" salespeople, it's just not my thing.)

However, one thing that I realized is that my signs can't sell themselves if you don't know they exist. Which brings us to the point of this post. 

Facebook has been key to the building of my business. However, this past year they made some changes, that, from a business aspect I get. They need to make money to run their business, so instead of allowing free advertising which is what they had done in the past, they now would like you to "boost" posts to get people who already like your page to see your posts. So if you have noticed that you see less and less of pages that you "like" this should not be surprising. But there's some good news! You can make some adjustments to change this.
1. You can "like" and comment on the pictures I post. This tells the Facebook algorithm that you want to continue seeing my page.
2. You can go to my Facebook page
Make sure you "Like" my page. Then under like, click "Get Notifications". Also from this screen you can select "See First" instead of "Default". This SHOULD allow you to see all my posts. (see photo for help)

I know not everyone is on Instagram, but this has quickly become a favorite for me. The feed is a lot cleaner than Facebook and you follow who you want to follow and you see the things they post. I just joined Instagram a few months into 2015 and it's been a slow-growth for me, but I really like it and see a lot of potential for MamaHessPainting here. Following me on Instagram is really simple.  <<------- a="" click="" there="">


And of course, there's my Etsy Shop.

Lots of ways to stay connected with Mama Hess Painting this year.  

Some goals for 2016:
1. Do 3 to 4 shows. (Last year I did two)
2. Build the wedding/vow renewal/love section of my Esty shop. I have SO many ideas for this section.
3. Take better photos of my signs
4. Stay joyful

Number four may seem silly, but when I'm really really really busy, painting can feel like a job. It's good for me to keep in mind that so often my signs bring joy on people's happiest days of their lives (weddings, babies, new homes, etc.) and bring comfort on their hardest days and provide inspiration on the days between.

Looking forward to a beautiful 2016 with you all! Thanks for coming along and enjoying the beautiful ride with me.


xoxo,
Mama Hess

The Year of Hope

Do you all participate in "One Little Word"?? I honestly didn't even know this was a thing until recently, although my husband, girls and I have been doing this for several years now.

We have declared 2016 to be "The Year of Hope".

I'm excited to share more with you all in the coming weeks and months as to just what this word means to our family.

In the meantime I painted this cute little sign and thought how fun this would be to offer at a really low price for all of you fine friends of mine. It's available now here in my Etsy shop.

 

I can't wait to hear what word your family chooses to think about this year. As noted previously, I'm not really "fully open" for custom orders until the end of January, but I consider this a "soft opening" for a very simple yet important word for each of you.

 

If you need the link again: here it is! Mama Hess Painting's Etsy Shop!!

2015 Goals Revisited

Before we can talk about 2016 I love to look back at the year we just finished and see if those goals we set were completed. We declared 2015 to be "The Year Of Love" . I had listed out several goals for each of our family members. Those goals looked like this:

For myself:
Personal Goals -
1. complete another Bible Study at Change of Pace South
2. read through the Bible in a year
3. continue nightly prayer/devotions with Trent
4. drink less coffee (just kidding! I was just checking to see if you were paying attention)
5. run a 5k (not kidding.... now it's on here, I have to do it)
6. find LOVE all around me
**Update: I did all of these things! (Except number 4). Trent and I were so excited to have read through the Bible together in one year. What a wonderful, growing experience that was!**
Business Goals-
1. create beautiful paintings
2. inspire and encourage others through my work
3. create something NEW and not just what "everyone else is doing"
**Update: I like to think I did all of these things.**
For Anne:
1. encourage healthy eating and exercise
2. continue piano lessons
3. figure out a good inhaler/ or something to help with her asthma so that #1 can be accomplished
4. teach her to be a strong young lady, not someone who will follow the crowd
**Update: Anne continued with piano throughout the Spring of 2015, but we gave it a break the remainder of the year. We are really happy with her new inhaler to help with her asthma. She is excited to start softball this coming Spring!. And I believe we're making good progress with number 4.**
For Abbey:
1. she wants to run a race this year
2. continue piano lessons
3. encourage kind and loving words
4. teach her to be strong, yet gentle and compassionate at the same time
**Update: Abbey didn't run a "real" race, though she still loves running and I can definitely see some form of running her her future. Piano did not bring much love into Abbey's life- in fact it caused quite a bit of frustration. We gave piano a break after the Spring. We are still working on 3 and 4, and I believe we will be for quite a while.**
For Maggie:
1. encourage her newly found love of mathematics
2. she would like to start reading this year
3. try to help her work through her anger when she is tired
4. help her to continue to be strong and loving
**Update: Maggie is doing great with math. She also is learning to read and does a good job. It definitely is hard work for her, but she is getting it and is really excited when she can read a small book independently. We are still working on three and four.**
For Caroline:
1. help her learn to walk this year
2. and say a few words
3. love on her like crazy
4. try not to spoil her terribly
 **Update: Caroline learned to walk at 18 months, so halfway through 2015. She is saying lots of words. We loved on her like crazy in 2015... Not sure how good of a job we did on not spoiling her terribly.**

So there you have it! A wonderful year of Love. I'm eager to share with you what the Hess family has in mind for 2016!

A Book Review & Some Fun Year End Numbers

Everyone needs a break from time to time. Christmas is the busiest time of year for me as the owner, designer, and artist behind Mama Hess Painting. After I finish all my Christmas orders I force myself to take a break from all custom orders until late January. And an amazing thing happened. I read a book!

I know this is seems like a small thing. And in all honesty, I have read lots of books this year. However, most of them are children's books. Maybe sometime I'll blog on the best kid books I've read... but not today. Today is reserved for a special book. A book written for adults. Like actual grown-ups. And I read it silently, not aloud to sometimes squirmy kids.

The book is called: The Puzzle: Some Reassembly Required by the one and only Katherine Devlin Flood. (To purchase the book simply click on the link provided in the title.) A portion of the book's synopsis is provided below, then I will give my personal insights on the book.

"Life was set on a comfortable path, until an awful night in June, 1985. College was almost done. Kati had so many dreams, and aspirations for her future. Suddenly, all of these pieces of her life were trampled and crushed by an awful car accident. The Puzzle; Some Reassembly Required, covers the time from this awful event to her marriage - the incredible breakthroughs along with the heartbreaking setbacks. The pages of this book will renew your belief in hope. Miracles do still occur! Learn to believe in your capabilities, rather than predicted expectations."
Quote from lulu.com 

Without giving too much away, I want to share some of my personal reflections on Kati's book. **Spoiler: Kati survives the awful car accident.**  As previously mentioned, I haven't read a "real, grown up book" for quite awhile. The ones I have started haven't held my attention long enough to finish (or I got too busy). I couldn't put this book down. Kati writes with such honesty and humor. You will love her grit and determination to live her life as fully as possible despite her traumatic brain injury. She has a wonderful way with words that really make her story come alive. I am not a medical doctor. In general, I feel like when I'm at the doctor (even for simple things) the words go in one ear and out the other because I just don't have a frame of reference for the words they say. So it is with much appreciation that Kati does not dwell on medical terminology. She does give some really good information early on in the book, but she doesn't continually bring up words that only people who have been in her situation can understand. It makes her book accessible for all readers.  **Caution: the accident scene is very descriptive and hard to read.**

I had the great joy of meeting Kati, now 30 years after her accident, during a Bible study this past September. You notice Kati for several reasons. First, the obvious, physical reasons: she walks slowly with the aid of a cane. Then you notice Kati because, well, she's Kati. She has a great sense of humor and personality. Sometimes it requires a little more time to talk with Kati as her speech was affected as a result of her TBI. This doesn't mean she CAN'T talk! No, my friends, Kati talks. And I think in general, our culture (and me, personally) aren't good listeners. So I'm learning from Kati. I'm learning not to rush through things. I'm learning to listen. I'm learning to slow down. From reading her book I've learned the importance of being there (physically and emotionally) for people who are going through challenging circumstances.

There are really only two things I wish would have been included in Kati's book. First, her age at the time of various events. I know she does mention the years a few times and I know she listed her age at least one point in time, but for me I think it would have been a little helpful if her age was given right at the beginning, and then mentioned a couple more times just to keep me on track of where she's at. (The book covers the seven years following her accident.) And the second thing I would have liked to have seen are pictures of Kati at different stages following her accident and during her recovery. I've never published a book, so I'm not sure how complicated or expensive it is to add photos, but I think that it would be helpful for the readers to see Kati throughout her reassembly. Kati writes so well that it is really hard to picture her in those times where she is hooked to machinery, unable to talk, unable to walk, but able to hear and comprehend.

I highly recommend Kati's book. Kati is also currently in need of funds for a helper dog. I know Kati would appreciate any support. You can donate directly to that by visiting her GoFundMe account found here:
Helper Dog Support for Kati

Or you can purchase: The Puzzle : Some Reassembly Required.  

SOME FUN YEAR END NUMBERS from Mama Hess Painting.
If you like numbers, keep reading. If not, disregard the rest of this blog except the part where I say, "thank you, from the bottom of my heart!".
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you have already seen this picture, but I think it's worth sharing again.

This image shows the amount of views, favorites, and orders I received in my Etsy store this year, 2015. To put that into perspective, I will give you last year's numbers. On Etsy in 2014 I had 6,778 views, 232 favorites, and 53 orders.

The total number of signs I sold in 2015 were 342 (including Etsy, Facebook, and live events). Some numbers that I don't have tallied are other things I sold, such as mugs, coasters, and cords. (Some of those things ARE included in my Etsy orders, but I don't have exact figures on those other items.)

I can hardly even comprehend those numbers. Three hundred forty-two signs in 2015. I truly can't thank you all enough for your support. I am so excited for what 2016 will bring. I have so many ideas floating around while I'm on break. I'm not sure how many I will actually have time to do for you all, but I am really excited about the new year.

So I end the year saying, "Thank you!" Thank you all for your kindness, for your generosity, and for your support of my tiny but growing business. I joked at the end of 2014 about a ridiculous goal for 2015. The goal was completely smashed. I thank you all for that. Can't wait for 2016! Talk to you all in the new year!

XOXO,
Mama Hess