some updates...

I thought I'd revisit some previous posts after having a few folks ask "whatever happened with the...?"

Update #1:

So, for starters, we'll begin with the garden. Many of you may remember the beginnings of our garden back in April...also known as Jude's dream playground full of "dut."

Well, here are some pics of our garden today...

And now for two "mystery" pictures...please help me out on this one. Our wonderful neighbor saw our attempt at a garden this spring and brought us several plants he'd already started in small pots, but none of them were labeled. We spent a good month trying to guess what some of them were. This next one looks like some type of cabbage, but I have no idea how you "pick" it, or how to know when it is ready to be picked! It definitely looks like it's almost ready for a Cabbage Patch kid to sprout, so help me out if you are a gardener...Mom? Sis? Anyone?

And now, this one made me laugh pretty hard. I was certain it was squash. It had beautiful yellow blooms and I even had 2 others tell me they also thought it was squash (I don't think they looked that closely : ). I kept thinking it was going to turn yellow. If I waited long enough.

I waited until it became gi-normous and couldn't stand it any longer. I brought it inside, sliced it open, and lo and behold, it was a cucumber (I know, I know, you knew that from first glance, didn't you?). I broke out the Ranch dressing and had a snack, celebrating that I actually grew food that I could eat, with my own two hands. It's such a rewarding hobby.

Update #2:

The Farmers' Market Interview.

Well, it never actually posted, so it must have been really bad : ). Not really, I just think they decided not to continue writing on the market at that particular time. Or at least I am going to tell myself that. Moving along...

Update #3:

Flowers for Addis

I told you I would post pics of our flowers at the market. Here are a few.

I also snapped this picture of our sweet boy. I love his interest in our soap. There is something so cool about seeing him hold the product that helped bring him (and now his future sister) home to us. He holds it to his nose and makes really loud sniffing noises and says, "Mells good, Mommy!" I love his expression.

Update #4:

Baby girl.

We are in the homestudy and paper work process right now. We are on a wild goose chase, visiting government buildings, getting physicals, drug tests, fingerprinted, having our septic tank inspected, etc... I forgot how much I disliked the paperwork the first time around. I imagine it must be similar to the way a mother experiences the pains of labor, yet miraculously forgets just how bad it really was and decides to do it again...and again. God's grace. Yet I know in the long run the paperwork is really the easy part. This part, I can control. It is the "wait" that unnerves you and becomes almost unbearable. I have almost forgotten how difficult that was. But it was worth every second. 

crack, with butter on it

I think age 2 and a half is magical. Jude is a little man now, full of ideas and opinions and...just life. He now has an opinion about what he wants to do, what he wants to eat, to wear. He even tells us which way to go when we're driving! He is very observant, and if he feels like you are taking a different route than what is familiar to him, he will ask you to turn around or go "dis way," as he points his finger in the opposite direction.

As far as his clothing, he is most particular about his shoes. Up until recently, I could not get him to wear flip flops (which he lived in last summer) and he only wants to wear his checkered Vans slip ons. It does not seem to matter to him when I explain that they do not match his outfit : ). Also, if he ever asks to wear his white shoes, it is important to know that he is asking for his "light up" shoes : ).

When it comes to food, he eats about 10 different things. Among his favorites are frozen Go-Gurt (with "Light Queen on it" aka "Lightning McQueen") and peanut butter crackers or "crack, butter on it" as he puts it. He is constantly cracking us up. Here are a few of his favorite phrases of the moment:

Awwwwe, Mence! translation: Awwwwwe, Mannnn!
Wok woll, Mommy! translation: Rock n' Roll, Mommy!
Yes, way! his response to "no" or "no way"
I uh ew! translation: I love you!
Carry you, Mommy? translation: Will you carry me, Mommy?

Yesterday was monumental as it marked our 18th month of being home as a family. And today was extremely monumental, but I will let Jude tell you why...

Yes, we finally completed Jude's "re-adoption" process this morning. He is now a full-fledged American citizen with a Georgia birth certificate and his name is officially "Jude Abreham Pruitt" rather than "Abreham Richard Pruitt" which is what his name legally became when we adopted him in Ethiopia (adoptive father's first name, his birth name, our last name). We were allowed to snap some pictures with the judge. Richard made fun of how giddy I was during the whole process, but hey, I'm the mama and that is what mama's do when it comes to their children's big moments in life. So forgive my cheesy, over-the-top smile, but I was proud...

We had the privilege of having the wonderful Judge Conner finalize our case--she was so awesome that at one point she even got down on the floor to play cars with Jude!

Jude asked me to "Click. Pic." his line-up of cars

Jude showed Tow Mater to Judge Conner

How awesome is she?

I'm a proud mama today.

you still there?

I'm sure there is a good chance I have lost any readers who have followed this blog--I've somehow managed to make it almost a month without posting. I honestly thought I would post a lot more during the summer, but somehow life just got even busier. However, a busy life makes for good blog posts--or at least good pictures : ).

We spent this past week with "Aunt Na" and her family at Hilton Head Island. We had a great week, but I will let the pictures speak for themselves.

Jude with Uncle "Woy"

Jude and Uncle "Woy" had a lot of fun together...

digging in the sand...

riding bikes...

sword fighting...

and napping.

Actually, Jude did a lot of napping...

I know this one is sideways, but it was too cute not to share

And this was Jude only minutes before, seeing fireworks for the first time...

don't you love how he kept his hand close by,

just in case he needed to cover his ears?

We had a lot of great family time together...

 no one told me I was supposed to make my "mad" face...

oh, I love this kid...pure joy

and on our last night, the 3 of us had a grand finale...

Jude's first movie! 

Jude was glued to the screen the entire time. He didn't move or talk (except for the occasional "Go McQueen!") the entire time. He did, however, cheer LOUDLY at the end, when all the cars returned home to Radiator Springs. He held up his Tow Mater truck and yelled, "Back Hooooome!!!" He was so excited and so proud. As for Richard and I, we had more fun watching Jude than the movie : ).

Tomorrow we return to the Lilburn Farmers' Market, this time armed with my newest, latest project: 

Flowers for Addis

This time last year, I was making some little fabric flowers for a headband for myself, and I started thinking about adoption and how I felt called to return to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and it just kind of dawned on me. Addis Ababa means "New Flower." I would make these flowers to raise money to return to Ethiopia for a child that God has handpicked for our family. Flowers for Addis.

I will be sure to post more pictures of Flowers for Addis after tomorrow's market. And if you are reading, I promise not to go so long without posting again. We've just been having too much fun!

where there is Love, there is God

My Farmers' Market friend called me at noon yesterday to tell me that I was going to be interviewed at 6:00. The local online newspaper wanted to feature my little soap booth, my little story. I felt nervous, inadequate.

I was in the car, on the way to drop Jude off at "Na's" so he wouldn't be isolated to our little booth for four hours while we worked the market that evening. I started praying about what I would say in the interview.

I'm learning a lot about myself these days. Over the last few years, I've gotten more and more "quiet." I can't explain exactly why and it's hard to put my finger on it. I guess I avoid drawing attention to myself or being in the spotlight, because it opens the door for people to make judgments; an invitation for others to express their opinions. And sometimes I'm afraid my skin won't be thick enough and that someone's words might penetrate and hurt. Somewhere along the way, I just started keeping things to myself.

So as I was driving in the car, I prayed. I asked God what He wanted me to say. How much would I share? Would I tell the world (or at least all of Lilburn) about His part in our story?

Jude fell asleep on the drive. I looked at him in the rearview mirror as I thought about my words, our story, our miracle. I thought about this story I'd read from Mother Theresa's book, Where There Is God, There Is Love, the day before:

A few weeks ago, I had the very extraordinary experience of this tenderness of God for the little one. A man came to our house with a prescription from a doctor. He said the child was dying, his only child was dying in the slums of Calcutta and that medicine could not be got in India anywhere. It had to be brought from England. As we were talking, a man came with a basket of medicines. He had gone round to the families and gathered half-used medicines for our poor people. And there he came, and right on top of that basket was that medicine. I just couldn't believe because if it was inside, I would not have seen it. If he had come before or after, I would not have connected. I just stood in front of that basket and kept looking at the bottle and in my mind I was saying, "Millions and millions and millions of children in the world--how could God be concerned with that little child in the slums of Calcutta. To send that medicine, to send that man just at that time, to put that medicine right on top and to send the full amount that the doctor had prescribed." See how precious that little one was to God Himself. How concerned He was for that little one. --Mother Theresa

And it just kind of hit me. This interview really had nothing to do with me. At least, I knew it had nothing to do with me. What if our little soap booth could just show people even a glimpse of how much He loves them...how much concern he has for the little one...and them. God was so concerned for Jude that He planted a little seed in our hearts that grew and led us 7,698 miles across the world to a foreign country and a foreign child to bring him home and into our family and call him our own ("God sets the lonely in families"-Psalm 68:6). We could never have orchestrated anything so perfectly. It was God's plan and it is His love that is so beautiful. Where there is love, there is God.

And as far as my interview, I will let you know once it posts. I was on video, and I'm sure I was awkward, so if anything you may have a good laugh. I have to run now, I hear my son calling for "chocolate milk" from his crib : ).

pure127 at the Lilburn Farmer's Market

Friday night was the opening night of the 2011 Lilburn Farmer's Market. We had the privilege of selling our soaps at the market once again this year. Check out our booth!

And now, I share with you my latest project...

"goldfish in a bag" glycerin soap! 

I wish that I could take credit for this super-cute idea, but a friend of mine saw it somewhere and, knowing I'm a soap maker, passed along the idea. It was so much fun, and the best part is seeing just where the fish end up floating around. Each one is incredibly unique and they were a hit with the kids!

We love the market for many reasons, but one reason is that we love getting to know the other vendors and hearing about how their business came to be. Many of them started with a dream and it is incredible to hear how their dreams became a reality. We were lucky enough to be booth "neighbors" with Brandi Barnes Shelton of Just Add Honey and taste her incredible tea. We also had the privilege of meeting her daughter, Janiyah, who is a 13-year-old photographer in training. She took these amazing photos of our soap! Thanks, Janiyah!

We look forward to another exciting week at the market this upcoming Friday!

Vinny's Lullaby

Jude has recently started singing. It is the sweetest, cutest, most entertaining thing my ears have had the privilege of hearing. I'm sure every mother feels that way when they hear their child sing for the first time.

Richard and I were eating dinner and entertaining Jude ("dinner" & "entertain" seem to go hand in hand when talking about a 2 year old, don't they?) when he unveiled his latest talent. We were taking turns singing to Jude because we recently discovered that he doesn't like hearing Richard sing and, well, it's kind of funny to hear him ask his daddy to "stop, please." We were trying to see if he had the same reaction when I would sing, so I started singing this lullaby:

Close your eyes, little one. 
Close your eyes, little one.
Sleep time is here.
I'll hold you near.
And when you wake,
I will be there.


Jude's eyes lit up, and he started swaying back in forth in his high chair and singing along to the best of his ability. It sounded something like this: "...eyesss...oneeeeeee. hereeeee...nearrrrrrrr. wakeeeeee...thereeeee. Yea!!! I DID it!!!"

I really shouldn't have been surprised that he recognized the song. I've sang it to him every night for over a year now. But to realize that he actually had the words memorized was pretty cool. And now I have to share with you the back story on this lullaby.

I heard this lullaby as a child. I was 5 years old when I watched the 1985 Alvin and the Chipmunks episode, A Chipmunk Reunion. And I remember this endearing moment in the movie when Alvin, Simon and Theodore's mother sang them this song:

That song always stuck with me, even though I haven't seen the movie or heard the song in over 25 years. But when I became a mom, the song--the tune, the words--it just seemed like the perfect lullaby for my baby boy.

Yesterday morning, Richard came downstairs to find me crying hysterically. While searching for Vinny's Lullaby on the internet, I came across several other videos from the same episode and I had the realization that the chipmunks were orphans. Their mother gave them up as a last resort because she knew she couldn't take care of them and wanted to give them a chance at life. You can go ahead and laugh now. Richard did. Especially when he realized I was crying to this:

I guess there is a reason that song always stuck with me :).

First of all, I have to say that I can't believe that I'm awake right now. The last day of school begins in 5 hours and I cannot sleep. Lord, give me strength and energy (and plenty of caffeine) to make it through the day. I am kind of like a kid when it comes to big events like the last day of school. I still cannot sleep the night before Christmas, and sometimes the night before my birthday, or Easter, or even right before vacation. I still get excited : ).

It has been a busy week and God is continuing to bless our family so much. Last week I had the opportunity to share this video with some kind and generous businessmen (and women). I would love to share their company name, but I will wait until I have permission. After seeing the video and hearing our story, they bought an entire batch of my soap and then some.

I was also asked to create another custom nursery painting! This time, I will be painting for Jennifer's sister-in-law who is expecting a baby girl. I can't wait to get started. 

I've also been making soap like crazy. I made a batch of Grapefruit soap and decided to try something new. I don't get very creative with my soap making because, well, it's hard. And the few times I have tried to experiment something always goes wrong. Always. I tried to pour it into individual molds (tiny tupperware containers) but the soap cooled too quickly and separated and I ended up with an oily mess on top and a thick layer of chalk on the bottom (known as "separation"--clever, huh?). Then I discovered the process of rebatching, and I heated up my soap-gone-wrong in the crockpot and now it is a beautiful (slightly less pretty) batch of soap.

Well, enough about me. I am sure you are really wanting to hear about the latest Jude news. Where do I start? There is something new everyday. Yesterday he asked for cake. We never have cake, so it was pretty funny. I said, "We don't have any cake." He looked at me, and without missing a beat, said, "Ma's house." I laughed so hard because I can't remember a time we've visited my mom and haven't had cake. We are always celebrating something. I love my family. Mom, I think it's time for a visit : ).

He is also turning into a little fish lately and has been jumping off the diving board at Richard's aunt's house. I have yet to see it, but I can't wait. Although I'm a little scared. I'm admittedly overprotective. He is starting to put so many words together. Richard and I laugh that we understand him less these days because he has so many new words. It is taking us a little while to catch up. He's patient with us, though, and will usually repeat himself a few times before giving up on our comprehension skills.

Well, I am going to attempt to get in at least some sleep before I begin my day with students. Wish me luck!

Mother's Day Retreat 2011

First, I have to apologize for anyone who reads this blog solely for the "creations," because this post will have absolutely nothing to do with my artwork. This post is about my husband forcing me to take time for myself and relax with a road trip to my best friend Gentry's family beach house in St. George Island, Florida. It was probably the best Mother's Day gift anyone could ask for, and I am so thankful I have a husband that loves me enough to recognize I need time for myself--even when I don't realize it myself. It was really hard for me to leave, and even though I knew it would be fun, I would cry every time I talked about going. I have never been away from Jude for more than one night.

Gentry and I used to spend our college Spring Break in this house with her late beloved grandmother, Granny Tucker. We haven't taken a "girls" trip to the house in 10 years, so it was long overdue and incredibly nostalgic. 

While Gentry and I were in college, we were volunteers with a ministry called YoungLife (where we met both of our husbands) and we worked with high school kids. Two of these students (now no longer kids, but 26 years old!) joined us for the trip. They were our comic relief and kept us from getting too homesick or taking ourselves too seriously : ). They are amazing girls--Jenna (2nd from the left) is now a pharmacist, and Brooke (next to me) is actually in the middle of the adoption process herself! Brooke has also started an incredible foundation for special needs children called InRhythm and you can check out her blog here.

Anyway, the beach trip was amazing. In St. George, you pretty much have the beach to yourself. No one was around for miles, and it was just us girls, so we found ourselves doing things like this...

 and this...

and this...

Richard called this one my Matrix move

It was a great long weekend of sleeping in, digging my toes in the sand, eating when and whatever I wanted (I was on a diet of Diet Coke, roast beef & swiss sandwiches and Ranch Doritos--just a few of my favorite unhealthy things), watching chick flicks and staying up late talking about any and everything. When it was time to go, we were ready and rested and couldn't wait to see our babies (okay, we almost broke down and left a day early because we missed them so badly : ). But we knew we'd be back to reality soon enough, and the trip almost seemed like a blur once we got home. We are lucky girls, lucky mommies. I hope all the mothers reading this had a wonderful Mother's Day this year!