Look how far we've come

This past weekend, I completed the I-800.  We already did the I-800A twice, which is pre-approval to immigrate an orphan into the U.S.  The I-800 is to finalize that. I had to do 2 copies, one for each child.

One of the thing it asks is itemization of all the expenses paid. Wow. This has cost a lot!  With having to renew our immigration, and home studies, it adds up.

But instead of grieving over the money it costs, I had a feeling of satisfaction, that so many things are paid for.  We are at the finish line, even though there is still some more to go. So, that was an encouragement to see how far we've come.

Tickets booked!

We finally got the travel vouchers that were gifted to us by Chris' company. They bumped things up for us. I have to admit I was getting anxious because I began to see a big fluctuationin prices. But I was able to get the arrangement that was a really good deal. The other combinations were almost $600 more. So, we're very fortunate, and seems like the nick of time because seats were moving fast.

BIG sigh of relief!  Check this item off of the "to do" list.  and onto the others...  

Just looking forward to seeing our girls

I keep looking at their pictures and videos.  They are so precious.  I just can't wait to get to know them and get them home, let them adjust to home life.

I look forward to nurturing their souls.  Before race, country, culture, language, they are souls just as we are, and they will fit right into our family.

We will be with them as they feel the loss of their country and foster home, the adjustment to their new home.  We will share their sorrows and their joys of a new adventure.  We don't have any set schedule on how quickly they will learn language and progress in school, only that the feel safe and nurtured.

I'm feeling all the stress of things coming together, and feeling emotional, and weak, so it is good to focus on the goal, that this is a good thing.  Who is sufficient for these things?

I will post later about all the things I've bought for them.

This is a picture that one of the girls drew.

Travel vouchers and a place to stay in Sofia!

Chris company, Mattress Firm, has offered to help with the airfare! They are so generous. We haven't received the vouchers yet but they are on their way and we should be booking our flights soon.

Also, we will be staying with some friends from our church who are missionaries in Sofia.  I'm really excited about this.  They have a heart for the Roma people and I look forward to learning more about Bulgaria while we are with them.  They are fun people.

So, things are coming together and we're trusting Him to provide all that we need.

Do It Yourself Coffee

Before we got this wonderful news of these 2 delightful girls (that may be ours! :O),  I was on a DIY kick (thanks to Pinterest and some friends I'm talking to on Facebook).  I decided to save money on our coffee beans and have fun too.   I've been doing this a few weeks now, but haven't blogged about it yet.

I bought green coffee beans (and technically it is not a bean, it is a seed) from Sweet Marias.  www.sweetmarias.com   And I followed their instructions on using a air popcorn popper as a roaster.  I bought Sumatra and Espresso green beans by the pound and it was $5 - $6 per pound.  I didn't get enough for free shipping but I will next time.

Here is the main thing about roasting...you have to watch and listen for 2 cracking sounds.  The 1st one is louder and happens pretty quickly.  The 2nd crack sounds are later and softer.  The 1st time I didn't roast long enough, I just made it to the 1st crack.  The coffee almost had a taste of fruit juice!  But I didn't let it rest a few days, like they recommended, I just tried it the next day.

Now, I'm going for longer roasts.  Today I roasted some Sumatra for 12 minutes.  I wonder if that is too long.  But I have some Sumatra from the grocery store and theirs is darker, so I think I'm OK (I'll post an update).  I will try it tomorrow, even thought it still needs to rest longer for the best flavors to come out.  Also roasted some Espresso longer than I have in the past.  I think I like a dark roast, where it gets rid of the acidic aftertaste.

I keep the roasted beans in mason jars and label them with the date and description, and how long I roasted.  This is fun, and it tastes better, and saves money.      

you can see the beans swirling around, chaff flying this is during the 1st crack.  It doesn't smell like coffee yet at all.   Later on during the 2nd crack, a little smoke comes out and the beans get much darker but it is hard to tell when to stop.  

this is damp paper towel, catching the chaff , you can't help but think of Psalm 1 as you see the chaff blowing away, it has a purpose but it is not useful in the end.  

beans cooling down, these are nice and dark, the darkest I've done so far

I'm also making our own Greek style yogurt (hopefully the girls will like that as they adjust to a new culture when they come over here).  And I'm making our own granola.  And I'm making my own laundry detergent, will also post about these later.  Next on the horizon is I want to use a sourdough starter for my bread.  I think it will be healthier than yeast.  So, I guess you could say we have some things growing over here.

I have a wonderful church family!

From last Sunday...everyone in our church is so excited for us.  It was a real encouragement to my faith that this WILL happen (at times I'm daunted by all the work that has to be done and I focus on that so much out of necessity.)

Our church, that we've recently switched to, has a lot of adoptive families, children adopted all over the world, and many families in the process.  It was a great Sunday.   I think the girls will really like our church, as Anton does.  I can see them getting a lot of attention.  www.christcommunityhouston.org   But it is the body of Christ that is the main thing, not a building or organization 

Our other church was so instrumental to Anton's early life.  We are still so very thankful for them and their ministry and they look forward to meeting our girls also, and they have contributed as well to this adoption.  Anton made so many friends there and was such a source of joy, and social interaction for him.

I'm so thankful for the love of Christ in His people.

Language materials I ordered

I'm pretty excited about some language materials I've ordered.  I ordered from Australia because a salesman was so kind to help via email, and couldn't get the publisher to communicate with me.   The shipping was around $15.00, so not outrageous.   http://www.globallanguage.com.au/   I highly recommend them, they were very helpful in explaining for anyone else interested.

But since the girls seem to be so advanced with the Bulgarian language, I thought some bilingual tools will help with communication and for their own development, even to learn during the time before we bring them home, or as much as they can (no pressure).

This pen will read from the dictionary and talk in English or Bulgarian.  You just touch the pen to the word and it has tons of pictures.  I also ordered a storybook, The Little Red Hen (in Bulgarian and English) and extra labels.  The labels are really cool!  You can record whatever you want on the labels, so we can record our own voices, or the children's voices.  We can do a lot with this, even put the labels on items around the house.   These are language lessons at a great price, all in all.

I ordered some other items as gifts, that are just for fun.  I'm just so excited.  I'm glad I have time to prepare all this.  Meanwhile, we are also working on our I-800 (final) and other items for our final dossier!!

We have a travel date!

Lord willing, we will be traveling May 12 - 18.  So, we're excited, but a little nervous.  A lot needs to come together in this time frame.  So, please pray for God to direct everything.   It is about these girls getting a loving home, and not us, I'm so thankful He is in control.

Psalm 82: 3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;

maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

4 Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

Looking forward to girl things

Anton and I walked over to a friend's house in the neighborhood and it was so nice to get some sunshine and talk with a friend   I spent a lot of last week at my computer, and on the phone and it took away from other things.  Ah, fresh air.  Breath deeply.  What a beautiful day.

On our way home, we saw a bunch of clovers.  I told Anton what I used to do as a little girl.  I would sit in soft cool, sweet-smelling clovers and pick a bunch (and look out for bees).  We'd poke holes in the end and then thread them together and make garland, necklaces.  He was pretty excited about doing that too.  But it made me think that this is something to look forward to when we get these girls home.

(side note:  My friend and I talked about her Sunday School lesson, that is on Moses, and how the children of Israel didn't trust Him even though He had performed all sorts of miracles.  It was a good reminder to me how the Lord provides and sees us through each step, one day at a time.)

I found a cheesy animated gif, remember when these were so popular with web design?

We're moving forward!!

We just heard back from our doctor and they had the usual concerns for children slightly behind in development but no other real concerns.  So yippeeee!

We are just trusting God to make this happen.  But we are so excited.  Now we need a travel date but I don't expect it to be this month or early May due to holidays and the way things are filling up with our agency in Bulgaria.  We are hoping middle or late May or in June.