And still more fabric squares...

Here are a few more squares:
This beautiful Vera Bradley fabric is from Mike's Aunt Judy and Uncle Dick. Christy gets her Vera Bradley purses from Aunt Judy's store all the time! :-)

This pretty pink heart fabric is from the Halls, neighborhood friends. Their one son is in Reagan's class.

This beautiful fan pattern is from Ms. Bateman, a family friend.

This t-shirt fabric is from Daddy. He purchased this t-shirt after watching a choir of orphaned children. This choir helped to spark our interest in adopting a child.

This pretty pink fabric is from the Gibbs family. Their son is also in Reagan's class.

The fabric received to date has now been mailed off to the quilters in Roanoke, VA. If anyone missed the deadline, I will still accept fabric in the months to come. I plan to use any extra squares not fitting in the original quilt and any new squares to make a small doll quilt for Gracelynn. So, if you still want to contribute, feel free!

Another Glitch

We've been told time and again to never expect things to run smoothly. Things will keep getting in the way, but will always work themselves out. This is one of those times.

We have a I-171H (Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition... now I know why they go by form numbers!) Anyway, it basically states that the US Citizenship and Immigration Services accepted our application to bring a child home to the US to raise in our family. It was sent to us in late March 2007. It expires September 21, 2008. In order to be approved, we also had to get fingerprinted through the USCIS. That expires April 24, 2008. (Why is one for 15 months, and the other for 18 months??)

Anyway, we knew we'd have to reapply for new fingerprinting to get an updated I-171H that has a non-expired fingerprint date. No biggie. Planned to do that next month.

However now we just got word that our I-171H needs to be appealed. A new rule through the USCIS says that since we changed from NSN (non-special needs) to SN (special needs), we need to appeal the original decision and pay more $$$ (of course). Ugh. Ok... I understand that things change, and we need to just comply. No sense getting upset over it, but we are highly confused! Our agency case worker doesn't seem to know the specifics behind it and said to contact our social worker (who in the past has usually sent us back to the agency to find out the details). So now we're left with... do we go ahead and request new fingerprints first? Do we wait for our new homestudy and request the new I-171H first? Can we do them simultaneously? Ugh.

On a happier note, the Hollar household is getting ready for a new addition to the family. We're closer to finishing Grace's room. I hung up the pink curtains and painted the pink stripe. The new bedding set arrived (and looks so cute!). I plan to get her name spelled out somehow in letters (like the other three kids have) and put that over the armoire that Nana and PapPap purchased. It's a small room, and yet somehow I couldn't get the photos to really show how good it's looking. So these two photos show most of what's in there. There is also a double closet to the left of the armoire, and a pink-basket 2-shelf unit between the two windows. That's it. I think a big pink flower rug would finish it off nicely. :-)

The boys' room seems to be working well for them (if only they could be more alike and therefore be harmonious living with one another... ha! ) In fact on Freecycle this weekend, I scored 4 valances for their bedroom. All blue and white checkered... so they match their blue, sage, and red room perfectly! A few $5 rods, and now their windows are finally "topped"... only took 4.5 years after moving in to finish them. :-)

And just so we don't forget Reagan, I took a photo of her too. She acquired the curtains that used to be in Tommy's old room. She wanted more blue in her room, so she's got it! :-) We'll have to weave some more blue in there later. Right now it's so PINK!

I'm sure we'll work out all of the paperwork details in plenty of time. I'm just glad we're hearing about this new change now, and not 2 weeks before we need to leave! It's just another hurdle in the neverending mess of paperwork with adoptions.

And yet more in the mail...

We have a few more fabric squares to add.

This is from the Christian family, cousins of Mike. Such cheery little bears!

This fabric is from Christy's sorority sister and college roommate, Ms. Jordan. We went to Grove City College, and I'm so excited to have it in the quilt now!

This also is from Ms. Jordan. I remember this shirt from our college days!
This fleecy fabric is from the Straight Family, friends of Mike and Christy. They moved to NC and we miss them, but are so glad to have them in the quilt!
This cute princess puppy fabric is from Christy's great aunt and uncle, the Showmans.
This fabric is from a student in Reagan's class, Ian. Thank you Ian!!
This fabric is from another student in Reagan's class, Ryan! He loves sports, so this is perfect!

And, of course, if any of you know my daughter... this is from Reagan. Fits her perfectly!

I believe this puts us at 72 fabric squares so far! I know of one from Mike's aunt that is being mailed, one from a family friend, and I've heard from two church friends promising some... not to mention that Reagan's whole class was invited to participate. (And they were to turn them in today... which was canceled due to snow... so maybe a few will show up on Monday?) I think we'll definitely hit 77. YAY! Thank you everyone! That doesn't mean you can't continue to send in. The first 77 will be in the original large quilt... but I hope to make a smaller doll-size quilt or pillow sham with any more that come in. The original goal was "100 wishes", so I'd love to hit that goal. This will be such a great treasure for Gracelynn to keep.

Almost All of the Fabric now in....

I'm sending in the material on Monday, so I've had a huge influx of fabric these last few days. Here are the newest:This "panda paw" fabric is from a sorority sister and her husband, the Watsons. (Remember pandas were our sorority mascot.)
This cheerful home is from the Neaveills. Their daughter is in my Brownie troop.
This sweet little-girl fabric is from the Pasqualones. Mrs. Pasqualone assists in leading our Brownie troop.
Uncle Mike and Aunt Jeanne sent this fabric from the bib of my cousin. It was purchased 20+ years ago by my grandparents.
This fabric is from the Hoffmans. They breed and raise Rhodesian Ridgebacks. Mr. Hoffman was our best man in our wedding.
This fabric is from the DeHarts. Mrs. DeHart also assists in leading our Brownie troop.
This gingerbread applique is from the Cockes family, cousins of Mike. It was made by Janine's grandmother.
This fabric is from the Felts, our neighbors. It was used in many projects for Mrs. Felt and her daughter.
This fabric was lovingly chosen by Tommy (our youngest). He wanted to keep it, but eventually was persuaded to give it to Gracelynn.
This fabric was chosen by Ben. How cool... Spongebob! Ben played baseball for a few years.

There are a few fabrics in the wash as I type, so I'll add those soon... including Reagan's choice.

Today is an icky day at the Hollar household. Mike has what we believe is the flu (in addition to a big-ol' splint on his right arm). Christy had some sort of stomach bug for the last 24 hours or so. We're all iced in, so I'm happy. I didn't have to drive anyone anywhere today! If you live close by and haven't given us your fabric yet, I can accept them until Sunday night! Thanks so much to everyone who has donated fabric and written up "good wishes" cards. We really appreciate the love and thought given into these (as well as the postage costs!) I'm sure it'll be something that Gracie will cherish forever.

More Fabric

Last night was fun. Mike and I met up with Maureen and Mike Evans. "Mo" and Christy were in the same pledge class for our sorority. She and Mike are now in the middle of adopting from Kazakhstan. Their hopes are to travel soon, maybe April? It's a 6 week process once there. It was so neat to compare stories and translation guides (oh the things they teach you!) and the hoops and hurdles along the way. We closed down Cold Stone Creamery... they kicked us out. I mean, two seconds after we were out the door, they locked it and drew the blinds. Yep, us boring thirty-somethings were holding up the working teens' ability to get out early and go out apparently. (Just for the record, by my watch, it was only 9:55.)

We wish M&M the best of luck in their adoption. Can't wait to see the new Evans child. They may even have their child safe and sound at home before we do!

I also have lots of new fabrics to share. We are now up to around 56 pieces, I believe. The goal is 77... so if you haven't yet mailed yours in or dropped it off, please do so. I mail the rest of the fabric out on Monday.

This fabric is from Bob and Mary Thornberry, Mike's uncle and aunt.

This adorable ladybug fabric has a special donor. It's from the Thomas family that adopted a little boy from the same orphanage as Gracelynn. He was a good friend of hers.


The two above fabrics are from the same fabric used to create animal feedsacks on the James farm (Mike's grandmother's family). It was given by Marvin and Vivian.


This cute ballerina fabric is from the Kimm family, who attend our church and were once in our small Bible group.

This soft fabric is from their daughter, Jasmine.

This starry pink fabric is from the daughter, Jahna.

This cute lavender floral fabric is from family friends, the Hornsbys.

This fabric was taken from a handmade robe that Mike wore as a young child. It was made by his grandmother.

This Redskins fabric was taken from shorts worn by Mike's grandfather (who passed away shortly after Ben was born.)

This pretty floral fabric was given by the Garmans, who are college friends of ours (and who now live near us and attend our church). It was used in their daughter's nursery quilt, too.

This sunny fabric was given by their daughter, Emily.

This red bandana fabric was given by a sorority sister and her husband, the Fletchers. Red and black were our sorority colors.

This cross-stitched panda and black fabric was also made by Christy's sorority sister,
Ms. Fletcher.

This cute froggie pattern is from the Buchens, friends of our family who also attend our church. Their children were in preschool with Ben and Reagan.


This heart fabric is from the Bocks, Mike's cousins.

Gracelynn's Room's Progress

Well, this week's icestorm (as opposed to the several other icestorms we've had lately) caused for a school cancellation on Wednesday. So, I was able to sleep in a little, and then do some work in Gracelynn's room. That same day, the Fed Ex lady brought us her armoire-box. She literally pushed it up the driveway, which was a complete sheet of ice. Man... I can see why, too. It was over 100 pounds. I had to remove the parts and take the stuff up to the bedroom in shifts (since Mike is unable to help me carry 100+ lbs up the stairs these days). The next day (Valentine's Day), I assembled her little armoire/shelving unit. So, we're getting somewhere. I'm still awaiting her bedding set to arrive. Once it does, I may paint some flowers on the new pink stripe to match the bedding. So, things are progressing.

It's now much more obvious to Tommy that it's a girl's room... it's pink now. ;-)

Another bit of cool news. I received a few new pictures yesterday via email from Mable at OCDF (Our Chinese Daughters Foundation). She got me Gracelynn's current measurements too! She is now 29 lbs and 36.5 inches tall. That makes her about 2-3 inches shorter than Tommy, and about 4-5 pounds lighter. So, we're guessing a size 3T. Her new pictures make her look so much older (although not much)! She's growing up so fast now! We need to go get her!

I also received something really neat in the mail today. I found a gentleman who collects Chinese newspapers from most of the provinces. He'll then locate the finding ads to match up with your daughter/son. In China, all abandoned children have "finding ads" placed in the paper to state where she/he was found and any other identifying marks... as well as a photo. He found our daughter! I had most of the same information that was in the ad, but now I have her baby photo! That'll definitely be something to go in the Lifebook. For those interested in this, the web address is www.research-china.org .

Until next time...

No new news

We've been in the waiting game lately. Our homestudy report is still being worked on, although we've made progress. I have all doctors' forms filled out, all police clearances at least sent in, and even completed our 10 hours of adoption course credits. I did it online this week. I haven't received our official final certificate (could take a week), but at least it's done... and I can prove it with the 50 sheets of homework printouts. On Monday, our social worker will arrive to do a new visit with the whole family. After that, it's just waiting for final papers to arrive and for the social worker to fill out her report.

Next month we'll have to register for new fingerprints through USCIS, but that should (should!!) be the last paperwork to complete before visa and travel plans. Fortunately our I 171H doesn't expire till September, so that's still valid.

I've done a little progress in the nesting. I am in the midst of changing the soft-gold baseboard and doors to shell white (I've been slowly doing every room in this house.) We also ordered a white armoire/shelving cabinet for in Gracelynn's room to hold toys and such. We want to keep her room relatively minimal in visual stimuli, so our goal is to hold all toys and such in baskets and behind the door. She will not be used to a room full of color and toys, so we want to keep things simple. Nana and PapPap bought this for us. Actually it's "out for delivery" according to the Fed Ex website... so we should get it today.

I've also ordered her toddler bed set. It was fate. We had to get it. It's a pink quilted look comforter set called, appropriately enough,.... "Gracie's Garden". How could we not buy it? It'll have flowers and garden bugs on it... mostly pink. I also plan to move the pink corduroy curtains into that room once I repaint the middle stripe. Speaking of which... I need to replace Reagan's curtains now. I want to go for a lavender or purple curtain since her walls are pink and the stripe at the top is lavender. We fell in love with the tomboyish-yet-feminine corduroy curtains. Can anyone tell me where to get lavender corduroy curtains? Something tells me I need to just make my own. The pink ones were from Pottery Barn years ago... they no longer carry them. Every other lavender curtain I've found is too thin or too expensive or too dark. :-(

Along with the armoire, we ordered some other furniture (got our tax refund back already). The one cabinet piece for the front room just arrived. 8 chairs and the armoire are to arrive later. With Mike in a sling, I suppose I'll be doing most of the assembling, eh? ;-) That's okay... gimme a drill, and I'm in heaven. Love my drill!

When more real adoption news arrives, we'll be sure to let you know. But our best guess is that we'll hear nothing else for another 2-4 months. Sigh.

Care Package

It's been a bit crazy lately. Along with tomorrow's visit at the hospital, I've just had a million things swimming in my mind. One of which is gathering materials for a care package for Gracelynn now that we have our PA! I'm awaiting the USPS shipment of boxes (yes, I'm too lazy to go to the PO) and am now assembling the photo album. I have plenty of the kids... no problem. We want to send a nice photo of just Mike and I together. Can you believe I don't have one? Isn't that normal though? I take 95% of all photos in this household if not more, so finding a photo of me is tough enough. The only "recent" shots of Mike and I were just not good: a picture from his company Christmas party that was very red and dark, a picture of the two of us in Hawaii in 2005 in the dark on the cruise ship deck and thus isn't clear, and a photo of the two of us in a kayak in Hawaii (again, not the best photo... cute, but not a close-up). Any others include the kids or only one of us.

So, I had Mike's dad photograph us today. Is it okay? I never like any photos of myself and can find a million things wrong. Notice Mike was a good-sport to remove the sling and put on a longsleeve shirt to cover the splint. :-)

Lots More Quilt Squares

Wow! We just needed a deadline, eh? Since I posted the deadline, the squares have really been pouring in. Thank you so much to everyone who has mailed us a square. Your time and thoughtfulness is very much appreciated. So... on to the cool fabrics!

This butterfly pattern is from Grandmother Thornberry (Mamaw). It's to symbolize a new start in life. :-)
This beautiful floral pattern is from the Spickards, our previous next-door neighbors when we lived in Leesburg.
This Mickey pattern is from the Shaws, who are in our dinner group and are good friends.

This adorable bunny pattern is from the Schnabels who attend our church. They are currently in the midst of adopting a sibling group from Ethiopia (their website is listed to the left).
This beautiful eyelet fabric is from the Ruments, also members of our church. They teach ESOL along with Mike.
This cute bear fabric is from the Rourkes, Mike's cousins. It was used in the nursery bedding of their own 2 kids over 20 years ago.
This is from PapPap (Christy's dad). He, of course, went to Pitt!
This buggey pattern is from Nana (Christy's mom). Ladybugs are good luck in China, and we just want to lavish hugs and kisses on Gracelynn!
This is a piece of fabric from my coziest pajamas, which no longer fit. So, it's from one of my favorite pieces of clothing.
This happy-face fabric is from the Moens to symbolize this happy occasion! Ms. Moen is Reagan's basketball coach.
This is an appliqued "Sunbonnet Sue" from Mike's Great-Aunt Maryana. How beautiful!
This bear pattern is from the Koehlers, friends of our from church.
This white fabric is to remind us of Jesus' perfect cleansing love. It's from the Kincannons. Ms. Kincannon was Tommy's preschool teacher last year.
This cute starry pattern is from the Kincannon's son's nursery quilt. He's now in Reagan's class at school.
This sweet Precious Moments fabric is from Christy's Great Aunt Catherine and Great Uncle Pete. Their son is actually working on a kaleidoscope for the China Olympics!
This pretty floral heart pattern is from the Johnsons, friends of ours from our church back in Waldorf, MD.
This is a piece of the fabric from Mike's Uncle Steve and Aunt Tricia and Lexi and Chris. Can you guess where they went to school?
This pretty heart fabric is from Gran and Granddad (Mike's parents). It's to symbolize their love... not to mention Granddad's "new heart" 17 years ago.
This adorable panda fabric is from the Herrs. Ms. Herr is a Brownie leader and shares a room with Christy's troop. Pandas are always close to my heart... they were our sorority mascot. I used to have tons of panda stuffed animals!!
This cute buggy fabric is from Grandma (Christy's grandmother, who recently passed on.) Such a cheery happy fabric like this would've been exactly what Grandma would've wanted to give.
This cute princess fabric is actually a piece of a burpcloth that came from the Gladhills. Their daughter came home from Korea with these burpcloths. How precious.
This pretty muted floral pattern is from the Connors, who are in our dinner group as well. They are currently in the midst of a domestic adoption process.
This good-luck ladybug fabric is from the Blanks. Ms. Blank was Christy's first college roommate.

Remember the deadline is coming up. Please help us out and send in fabric as soon as you can. Once the deadline is past, we won't be able to include it in the quilt. Look into the blog further to find the details of what to do.