Nursery DIY

I love, love, love decorating. When I decided to become a foster parent I became really excited to prepare a nursery (I call it the baby room more so than a nursery) in the house. I searched on Pinterest for ideas and read many blogs regarding ways to prepare a home and more specifically a room for a child in foster care. I knew I wanted to go with a gender neutral theme and keep it very soft and calming. I love the color gray on walls as it reflects natural light and can brighten a room as well as maintain a feeling of calm. Since I knew I wanted gray on the walls, I began my search for furniture. I looked on Craigslist and FB selling walls where I found a crib ($60), a Pottery Barn changing table ($40), and a rocking chair (free, I love those freebies)! I happened upon a gallon of black paint at Lowe's for $9 that I was using to re-do corn-hole boards so I decided to paint all the furniture black to match (prior to painting the furniture I made sure it was safe and also read up on how to seal furniture appropriately so that it would not harm the child).
Using the same paint, I planned on adding a stripe on one of the walls and then use a soft green, teal, or yellow to add smaller stripes. When I began reading how to paint stripes on a wall and learned how tedious it was going to be, I started to get anxious. I love to craft, but if you look at many of the things I create, they are not exactly perfect and I knew if I added a stripe that had a slight angle it would bother me. I nixed the idea and began strolling through Pinterest. I almost immediately became inspired to create a baby room with a theme from one of my favorite places to visit: NYC! I found a NYC skyline and knew I could easily paint it on the wall better than a perfect/even stripe. From there, my theme soared. There are not many NYC themed baby rooms out there so I used some things I found on Pinterest (like this awesome ABC print which I hand created) and thought of some additional details on my own. I love how this room turned out and it is definitely my favorite room I have ever decorated.

Found these awesome marquee letters at a local craft store helping to bring Broadway into the room.

Amazon has all kinds of great books, I searched for NYC themed children's books and found many. The book on the far right (Little Miss Liberty), I have owned for years, using in a summer program for children at a book store. When contemplating whether or not I should really do a NYC theme I happened upon the book in the middle (The Dancing Clock) at a store and knew that was my answer.

I found a print on Pinterest just like this displaying the NYC subway system as an alphabet and recreated it using card stock and my wonderful Cricut!

The changing table used to be white with pink baskets from Pottery Barn, I painted it black and spray painted the basket yellow to incorporate NYC taxis into the room. The rocking chair came from a friend. Again it was white with blue cushions so I re-painted and added new fabric to match the rooms colors. I created the apple pillow from some left over fabric. The wall print above the rocking chair was one of the very first things I purchased for the nursery. It is from Natterdoodle (see photo below for link to website and what it looks like).

The wonderful hand painted skyline! My favorite skyline in all of the USA. I love that is also incorporates One World Trade building. I used a projector to draw the skyline on the wall and then painted using two coats of black paint.

To add some childish items to the room, I found a print on Pinterest by the artist Julian Montague and was inspired to create my own using PicMonkey. I also created a Taxi print using the same website. The apple I found at Hobby Lobby and spray painted to create a "big apple." The Statue of Liberty came from my Great-Grandmother (whom also loved NYC). I purchased the Empire State Building from Amazon.

I love that I was able to incorporate this child's high chair into the room. When I was young, I used to shop with my Great-Grandmother at antique stores. One day when shopping I saw this high chair and told my grandmother that I had to have it. She purchased it and painted it white, it then stayed in her house until she passed a few years ago and I acquired it. Now it is a perfect book shelf for all the awesome children's books I have. 

This is the print located above the rocking chair. I purchased it from Natterdoodle. I fell in love when I saw it and knew it had to go into the baby room. Check back later for a blog post regarding this beautiful print.

To add "big apples" and to have a mobile NYC themed, I made my own. I hand cut and sewed felt apples, hanging them from a cross stitch hoop using fishing wire. 

I make baby blankets and if you follow me on Instagram, you know this. I scoured all over the internet looking for NYC themed fabric. It took me forever to find exactly what I was looking for and thank goodness for Etsy! I came across a little smaller than a yard worth of scrap fabric. 

This past December when the room was almost complete I went to NYC with my sisters. Of course, I had to pick up some items (including this teddy bear) to add to the room. 

Since I didn't know what age I was getting when applying for foster care I decided to keep a twin bed in the room. The colors already matched and I thought it would help add storage. I bought the 5th Ave street sign from a store in NYC while visiting and found this beautiful poster of the Brooklyn Bridge from Michaels. I spray painted the lamp to match, found a shade at At Home and created the age blocks to use for pictures. 

Before Foster Care

I have been struggling to come up with the words and thoughts I had prior to starting my journey into foster care. I don't really remember a lot because as soon as I signed up (and I believe prior to beginning any part of the process) I learned and knew I had to guard my heart.
The purpose of foster care is to reunify a child back to their parents or family through kinship. The thought that the child placed into your care could go home the next day, in the two weeks, in the 6 months, or in a year or more can be devastating and hard to handle. It can be scary to begin building attachment with a child who is not your own, knowing that in the end, they may not be in your life forever.
For me, preparing my heart and mind has definitely been a process that I have relied heavily on God to help me accomplish. I know I will never be prepared for the day my child goes home. And yes, I said my child. Bear is my child, a child who did not ask for this. She is not scary and has no fear in this situation that is an emotional roller coaster every hour of every day. She is little and she is the whole point I chose to do this. She needs an advocate, she deserves someone to rock them, feed them, bathe them, dress them, play with them and love on them.
I am glad I am on this journey and am very thankful for my village that is supporting Bear and I. It definitely would not be as easy as it has been without.

So as for my thoughts prior to foster care, there aren't any. However, there were many times I was asked:
are you prepared to give the child back?
will you be able to move on?
are you afraid?


And my response:
Yes, I am prepared; that is one of the reasons for foster care. Yes, I will be able to move on because I have planted a seed and helped end a cycle of brokenness even if the moment seems fleeting. Yes, I am afraid, but I am more afraid of what would have happened to Bear or what will happen to any foster child for that matter if no one took the risk to love them.

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." -John 14:18Ever since I was little I knew I wanted to be a foster parent and then eventually adopt. I don't know when or how the idea came to me, but my parents had family friends that fostered to adopt and in high school I knew a family from church that fostered to adopt. I have close friends who also fostered to adopt and even baby-sat for a family that did the same. Recently, a friend adopted her little girl and she is a big part of my family's life. Everywhere I look and at every stage of my life I have known someone who was a fostered child and adopted and who was a foster parent and who adopted.



I inquired about becoming a foster parent about two years, but at the time I didn't think it was right. The thought resurfaced last spring/early summer and I continued the inquiry and began classes last September. I have not spoken publicly or posted anything anything via social media because there was a tiny doubt in the back of my mind that said I wasn't going to be licensed; I don't know why, maybe because it is a huge life changing event (and something that I really wanted). I was worried to talk about it as I was worried it wouldn't happen, but that is not the case anymore.

The process sounds simple- attend required classes, complete a home study and fill out a lot of paperwork. In reality, the process takes a while and the wait can feel like it lasts forever. The home study is a very extensive process that looks at every detail of your life, it is to make sure the individual or couple is going to be a fit parent. They ask for many recommendations and referrals and complete interviews. My home study is complete, finally! My classes, paperwork, and home study are finished and I have been approved by the agency's director. I am officially a licensed foster parent.

The wait then began for a placement call, a call that is life changing and unpredictable. I was licensed for over 8 weeks before I received my call and at times the wait was beyond what I thought my anxiety could handle and felt excruciating. The waiting and the stress are now over, I got the call and I would be bringing Bear home.

Now she is in my home, it doesn't mean that the work is over. Bear is not mine legally, but when it comes to matters of the heart she is. I am providing support, protection, love, and comfort.  The foster journey has just begun for both of us. There will be many doctor appointments, visits with social workers, case workers, birth mom and family members, court hearings and decisions that this child (and me at times) simply will/cannot understand.

The goal of foster care is for the child to be reunited with their birth parents or family members after a period of time. The child is placed in a home to be cared for while the parents complete the tasks required of them prior to having their children placed back with them. This process can take up to two years.

I am so blessed to be able to do this and that God has called me to be a parent. These past few months He has prepared my heart and mind for the days to come and I am so excited. With each child that I (and my family) welcome into the home, I know they are placed with me at the right time (God has impeccable timing). I also know they will leave when they are supposed to. Each child will have their own unique set of challenges and issues, but they deserve a home and a family. A place where they can learn, feel safe and be loved unconditionally; for most of these children this will be a first for them.

No child deserves to be put into an environment or situation that does not foster growth and development, safety, and love, and that is one of the biggest reasons I chose to foster. Our teacher during our classes always said we "are planting a seed" and assisting in ending a cycle of brokenness.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to helping me with the home study process from the references to the recommendations to helping me answer questions about myself; I am forever grateful. Thank you for your prayers and asking about the process. Thank you for asking about foster care in general, it comes with a stigma that all foster children are "bad" or have mental health issues and with your inquiries it helps provide more knowledge and understanding into the world. I would love to repay each and everyone one of you but money nor things can do what you did for me and this child.

I am so excited for Bear to be in my home and excited to see where this foster journey is going to take us. There will be very little details shared about her family history or personal information due to privacy policies (and no detailed photos will be posted via social media sites). 

The biggest thing Bear and I could ask of you now is to pray. Pray for us as we embark on this new journey together as a new family unit. Pray that Bear's birth family is healing and working towards ending the cycle of brokenness. Many forget that in order for a foster parent to receive a placement a family has been broken apart. Pray that Bear's mom is given the strength to succeed for herself and for Bear. Pray for all the children in foster care and their families as well as the entire team that is involved in the case. Pray that God will direct everyone to make the best decisions possible for that child(ren).

"For he chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ in accordance with his pleasure and will." - Ephesians 1:4-5

Blueberry Muffins with Streusel Topping

This is the 2nd delicious recipe I have made this week, see the previous post for the first one. This one takes a little more time and effort, but is as equally delicious. Over the past 6 years,I have been on the hunt for a really good blueberry muffin. I have been trying to find something similar to what I used to be able to get at my on-campus coffee shop while I was in college. I am excited to say, I have finally found it. I originally found the recipe from Little Sweet Baker. I changed my recipe by using 2 cups of blueberries instead of 1 1/2 cups (I like a blueberry thick muffin) and I struggled with the streusel so I found a different recipe for it. The topping still did not turn out like a crumbly cake so I am going to work on perfecting it for future recipes.





Blueberry Streusel Muffins
Prep- 15 minutes
Cook- 20 minutes
Total Time- 35 minutes
Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients:
Muffins:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup milk (I used 2% but any will do)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries

Streusel Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425F and spray or line a 12 cup muffin pan.
2. Prepare the streusel topping by mixing the sugar, flour, and cinnamon together. Then cut in the butter until crumbly. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together using a whisk. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter with the sugar, add the eggs, mix, add the milk and vanilla, and mix again.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently combine using a spatula until all mixed well. Fold in the blueberries.
5. Divide the batter into the 12 muffin cups, top with the streusel and bake for 5 minutes at 425F. Then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the heat to 375F and bake for another 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

*When I divided the batter, I completely filled the cups, this provides a nice muffin top, but remember to place a pan under the muffin pan to catch any overflow.

Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Almond Clusters

Yes, I put sea salt, chocolate, and almonds in the title of this post. Yes, this is a recipe I tried this week and let me tell you....it is amazingly delicious and very easy to make with only 3 ingredients!

Ingredients:
2 cups of whole almonds
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolates
sea salt

Directions:
1. Place almonds in a single layer on a baking pan covered with parchment paper and place in oven for 10 minutes, stirring one time, at 300 degrees.
2. Melt the chocolate either using a double broiler on the stove top or in the microwave. If using the microwave, use a medium size safe microwavable bowl. Melt the chocolate in 30 seconds increments, stirring between each time. It took about 3 minutes for the chocolate to melt.
3. Stir the almonds into the chocolate, making sure to coat almonds completely. Scoop a spoonful of almonds out and onto wax paper. If wanting large clusters using a larger spoon and scoop 10-12 almonds at a time, if wanting smaller clusters use a small spoon and scoop 6-8 almonds. Continue till all almonds are used.
4. Sprinkle sea salt on top of the clusters and allow to set. For mine to set quickly, I placed in the fridge.
5. Enjoy! You can s
tore clusters in fridge for up to four weeks.
 

Bubbly & Brunch Bridal Shower

This past weekend, I, along with the four other bridesmaids, hosted a bridal shower in honor of my sister and her upcoming nuptials. The theme was Bubbly & Brunch and I chose to carry her wedding colors into the bridal shower. We used navy and white as the main colors with pops of red here and there. 

The invitation was inspired by a design on Pinterest and I re-created it using PicMonkey.

To add some color to the walls and additional decor, I made these paper flowers using a tutorial I found on Pinterest.

The mimosa bar was a huge success. We provided blue champagne flutes to match the colors of the shower and it was also used as the party favor. There was champagne with three different juice options and four different garnish choices. We also provided some sparkling juice for some of our younger guests and our guests who are expecting.

To determine who's glass was who's I used my Cricut to cut paper rings and then had guests write their name.

The food choices included mini quiches (some with meat and some vegetarian), french toast & smoked sausage kabobs, waffle bitty bites, mini hash brown casseroles, fruit pizzas, fruit kabobs, veggie pizza, and sliced honey ham. For dessert we offered two different donut cakes, a powdered donut cake and a variety of homemade donuts from a local donut shop.

We played Guess the Bride's Age. Guests had to look at the pictures and guess what age the bride was according to the photo. It was a ton of fun to find the pictures and play the game.

My sister, the bride (3rd in from left), and her bridesmaids. 

Flag Banner DIY

I love signs and banners at parties, they are very easy to make and add a pop to anything. When hosting my sister's bridal shower this past weekend, I created a simple "Miss to Mrs" flag banner to decorate one of the corners. To make my life simpler and to make the banner even in size, I used the We R Memory Keepers Banner Punch Board. I absolutely love this tool and wonder what I did prior to having it. It is so easy to use, with printed guides on the board itself. It comes with an easy to hold blade and it's own hole punch. The board also allows for you to create pennant, flag, or crest style. Below is how I created this awesome banner with links to the materials I used.

Materials needed:
Card stock (any size and color)
Paper Trimmer
Cricut (for letters)
We R Memory Keepers Banner Punch Board
Scissors
String
Adhesive

Directions:

First, Gather materials needed to begin and decide what size you would like your banner to be as well as how many you need. 

I chose to make my flags 7 inches long and 5 inches wide. 

Next I placed the paper one sheet at a time inside the punch board. I made a flag so I didn't need to use the printed guides on the board, but if making a pennant, you can follow the guides to help give you the exact size you want. Using the cutting tool provided with the board, slide the blade following the guides across the paper. Repeat on the other side. 

To punch a hole in the flag, I placed it in the nifty hole punch slot on the board and pushed down, repeating on the other side. Then, I used my Cricut to cut the letters I needed, adhered them to the flags. Last, I used red/white striped baker's twine to hang the sign.