If You Sew Them...

(This tan one is now on hold - I can't replicate the lining, but could get more of this cord, and can replicate the tan plaid Africa).

(This is a sample picture - don't think I can replicate the lining - the exterior can be "almost" replicated in a small-print black/white houndstooth).

(This bag, above, can currently be replicated).

(This bag is one-of-a-kind - a few of the fabrics (but not the black denim) can be used in other bags. The bag below - tan with paisley Africa - can currently be replicated). Feel free to send a comment with your email if you have questions or want more pictures!

This bag-making I started about 18 months ago has been such a neat experience. After making 60 bags and thinking I would gradually, and with great effort, try to sell them to friends and family - and then selling all of them in a week after posting them on Facebook in July 2008 (say what you will about it, but Facebook has been a fantastic tool for lots of reasons) - there has been a steady trickle of interest which has pretty much kept pace with my availability to sew. These days, I've been mainly sewing on demand, just a bag here and there, but have a few ready-made bags again with plans to keep them coming. And just as I get back into sewing (after some busy times adjusting to work changes, summer activities, and my broken vertebrae), I've had a Jr. High classmate (through Facebook) offer to host a purse party featuring my bags! What a fun idea - just need to sew up a good supply - and with fall and Christmas on the way, the timing could be just right. So while we continue to have no idea where our adoption journey is headed, I keep being prompted to continue sewing...so I suppose I will do just that...

A Little Seasoning...

As things have been pretty repetitive here in blog-world lately, I wanted to post a few pictures to spice things up a bit. I finally have a couple of Gladwyn pics where she's not nervously glancing at the camera - here she is "camping" with us at the trailer a couple of weeks ago:

And here's Hesperantha, posing with as much dignity as she can muster. She's all grown up now, having turned two a week ago (but she hasn't figured that out yet).

One of my hibiscus blooms after a rain:

And a rainbow, spotted as we approached our campground:
We have definitely made the most of our little getaway this summer - driving into the campground provides an instant sense of calm, and it's been lovely spending nice, full days together reading and walking the dogs. Life there is just simple, and it's nice not to be surrounded by visual reminders of chores and yardwork and renovations - the trailer is easy to keep clean & tidy, the deck is fresh & sunny, and the little garden is super-low maintenance (and we don't cut the grass!). And then, at home, we've been making some headway again on renovations, so there seems to be a reasonable balance. This coming long weekend will mark the end of full summer weekends away - we will soon be back to Sunday School teaching and other commitments, so will be making shorter trips up through mid-October, when the campground closes for the season. I am always sad to see the summer season draw to a close, and this year we've certainly had some early reminders of fall, which I could have done without. However, this means that I can't get fall off of my mind, and I must admit to a hint of anticipation as I think about fall decorating, crisp air and leaves, and of course, the lead-up to the Christmas season. Don't want to rush things, but may as well savour what's coming...

One More Chance...

Ok, so earlier this week the "though-the-grapevine" on Ghana was not sounding good. Today, however, there is still a glimmer of possibility for all of us would-be adoptive parents and all the lovely children waiting for us in Ghana, as an experienced and qualified professional will be retained to look into the matter and work on getting some firm and final answers as to whether there is going to be opportunity for Canadians to adopt from Ghana. There is room to hope and pray that a restructured Imagine (again, a distinct possibility - will know more about that very soon) would be able to process Ghana adoptions - there are still LOTS of big "ifs" and obstacles in this regard, so keep those prayers going! I must admit, the waiting is feeling more tedious now, as we watch time continue to pass without offering answers. However, we still believe it is best to sit this out rather than make any big changes in our direction unless we need to...still hoping so much that there are open doors and open minds so that barriers can be lifted.

Sound Familiar?

We're still waiting.

We are happy to keep waiting to hear about possible agency restructuring plans, BUT we are really hoping to start hearing some specifics about the Ghana situation in particular. People are working on getting a sense as to whether Ghana adoptions will be able to proceed, and whether a newly restructured Imagine would be licensed to continue with Ghana adoptions...but this continues to be an ongoing question mark, apparently with no easy-to-come-by answers. We trust that the necessary people will quickly have opportunities to come together for information-sharing, decision-making...whatever it is that must be done so that we know whether Ghana is an option. It would be so lovely to have a bit of a plan again - for now we just float without a compass.

Reflection of the Day

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

"The spiritual truth Paul describes cannot be grasped. This peace doesn't just surpass the understanding of the worldly man but surpasses all understanding. Even the godly man can't comprehend this peace. Paul is promising something that is not humanly explicable -- that a man surrounded by care and anxiety and harassment and concern can still live with the tranquility of God in his soul!" (http://www.preceptaustin.org/philippians_47.htm)

Signs of Life

A very little thing, perhaps, but I was just pleasantly surprised by an email update on the Ghana program from an Imagine staff member who is working along with the bankruptcy trustee - there is no particular progress in regard to Ghana, but even receiving an email update is evidence that there is still work being done, and that the agency still has a heartbeat! We continue the wait to learn about a proposal being developed to (hopefully) restructure the agency, so the future is certainly still open to any possibility, happy or sad. Anyway, there are some excellent, qualified folks trying to clarify the status of Canada-Ghana adoptions, and some key connections being made with people who might offer significant support and assistance both to clarify whether Ghana adoptions are possible, and then (if the answer is "yes") to help establish a process for these adoptions. So far, there has been a ray of hope that the doors may not be entirely closed to Ghana, which I admit I didn't expect to hear, so we are not ready to back out yet!