Gotcha Day!

Today we finally picked up our sweet daughter, Rose Naicha Hubbell, to join our family forever. I don’t actually love the term “gotcha day” but that’s what it feels like right now. It was a very special day.

We flew to Haiti last night and were met by a family coordinator from our agency, America World. It was so great to finally meet someone from the awesome organization that walked us through the whole 2.5 year process. We rode to the guesthouse in the back of a tap-tap, an open air pick up truck common in Haiti! It was dusty and crazy hot and humid. We were so happy to relax there and dine with English speakers.

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So then after the America World staff all prayed over us we headed up the mountain to Kenscoff, where Chances for Children is located. We stopped at the grocery store to buy cakes for a goodbye party tomorrow. Once again I got suuuuper car sick on their roads. Had to shut my eyes, which stinks because I want to memorize everything for Rose’s sake, and still almost puked.

We were earlier than they expected so we waited a few minutes while a nanny got Rose dressed up for us, and then she walked out and I scooped her up. No smiles, no familiarity, just silent scared shock…which stands out when every other kid is smiling, acting goofy and begging to be held.

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We walked around talking and getting comfortable. At least she wasn’t terrified of Mike this time. Wary, yes, but she didn’t cry when he held her or I left the room. Eventually she fell asleep on my lap in the rocking chair.

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We were fortuate enough to meet Corrigan Clay, of the Apparent Project, and Zach Lee, of Alliance For Children, during this trip. Kathi Juntunen is in town too, which is great. C4C just opened an awesome medical clinic.

After awhile we left for the guesthouse, with Rose clinging to me for dear life. Driving through the public market in Fermathe is a sight to behold. Its a sea of bodies that barely move out of the way, only inches from the car.

Some snacks, a new dolly and especially a new outfit really perked Rose up. Her first real smiles and giggles came as I changed her diaper…she loves that! I practiced my Creole with her and understood a few words when she finally started talking. She ate a ton of chicken, rice and beans, and fried plantains for dinner. She is thrilled with her new sippy cup and sucks down as much water as she can.

Then it began to get dark and she seemed punchy, like silly tired. I put her in her pajamas and decided to try putting her in a kids bed with a rail next to the queen bed. She was laughing and playing and began to test the boundaries a bit. I tried laying down with her but that made it worse, she thought it was a game. So I walked out and left her with Papa in the room. She immediately crashed without another peep. Hooray!

Tomorrow is a big day of saying goodbye to all her friends and family at the orphanage. We have a party planned. We also hope our visa is ready so we can leave as scheduled on Wednesday! We are so grateful for all of your prayers and support thus far, and we can feel the Lord’s presence with us.

DIY Makeover Tutorial: Vintage KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Today I’m thrilled to welcome Rosanna Hinde to the blog in a guest post about how to make your grandma’s old stand mixer look fresh and awesome. This is totally relevant to me as I keep finding cool vintage treasures in the process of cleaning out my grandparents’ house. I love their stuff but I don’t want my whole house to look straight out of the 50’s. This is a fabulous and easy way to add some style and flair to a vintage appliance. Thank you Rosanna!

KitchenAidMixer

I’m not a hard-core baker. I like to bake, but I hate washing dishes, and my counter space is limited. Plus, I am cheap. This means I want a stand-mixer, but I don’t want to pay for it, clean it, or find the space for it.  But one day a friend said she had a used mixer for sale for $60. It’s a vintage mixer, a “lovely” faded yellow. “Lovely” isn’t the word I really want to use here, if you know what I mean.

Vintage KitchenAid

Once I started using the mixer, I knew it was a keeper. But what to do with this faded yellow? I mean, it’s depressing to use a mixer that’s so… “lovely.”

I knew what I was going to do with it the moment I saw it. I kept ignoring that crazy “you can do it!” voice in the back of my head, but it wouldn’t shut up.  “Spray paint it!”, the voice said. “You can do it!”

Sometimes you just have to give in to the voices in your head to make them go away. Or you can medicate. I chose giving in.

Here’s how I gave my KitchenAid mixer a make-over:

Step 1: Scrub it clean. I used a DIY granite cleaner (dish soap, water and rubbing alcohol) and a Magic Eraser. Man, I love those things!

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Step 2: Tape off the metal trim with a nice painters tape, and hide your cord in a Ziploc bag. Tape off any part of the cord that is still exposed. Trust me on this one. I didn’t, and I was scrubbing paint off the upper part of the cord for a while.

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Step 3: Use an Exact-o knife or razor blade to trim off excess tape. Don’t know where to start with the blade? Punch your fingernail into the tape, and that’s where you start!

Vintage KitchenAid

Step 4: Spray paint 3 coats, about 45-60 mins apart. Use a fan in a well-ventilated area, but somewhere there’s not a lot of dust. Don’t forget the underside of the mixer arm!

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Step 5: Remove tape. Clean up your overspray with nail polish remover and a Q-tip.

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Step 6: Stand back and admire your work of art!

Vintage KitchenAid Mixer Makeover

Please note, do NOT, I repeat: DO NOT go back and spray with a coat of clear varnish. I did this the following day and immediately the red paint began to pucker up and crackle. I could’ve cried. But I’m not the crying type, AND I knew when I started this project that I might ruin it… and I was okay with that. I guess I still am. More than anything, I realized I CAN do this. Guess those little voices in my head are pretty useful after all!

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