Merry Christmas Everyone!

Dec 4 i ♥ faces fix it friday

Super cute baby to edit today - here's the original.

Here's my color edit:

Played around with a seventies action from Pioneer woman for a bit of a vintage feel.

and a black and white which is my favorite.

5 Months!

photo credit: Always 13

Well, here we are at 5 months since our dossier went to Ethiopia, and 16 months since we started the paperwork to get this adoption rolling. Timelines continue to increase and I think that my initial estimate of two years to referral (from the time we send our dossier) might be a bit conservative. Our agency is now telling families that it could be 36-48 months. It does not do my heart good to hear this but it's better to know, I guess.

I ♥ Faces Fix it Friday

Another really cute photo to play with this week. Here's the original:



My color edit:



And a black and white:





I'm usually a huge fan of black and white but I actually prefer the vibrancy of the color one this time. For editing, I kept it pretty simple - brightened facial (and overall) tones with curves and levels adjustments, boosted the color saturation just a wee touch, sharpened and brightened the eye detail and a crop to draw your eye to her face.

Happy Birthday to me

Well, my birthday is not actually until next week but I can't think of anything I would rather receive than water. Maybe you'd like to get some water too? If I'm on your Christmas list - this is what I'd like this year. :)





Every day, 4500 mothers bury their children due to contaminated water. They are forced to sustain their families with a diabolical liquid that contains both life and death. This lack of clean water is the leading cause of death in underdeveloped nations. And it just doesn't have to be!

So as we gear up to scurry through department stores and browse endless catalogs in search of new jeans, Tonka Trucks, gadgets and dolls....we are pausing. We are pausing. And today, November 13th, we are buying water. Clean, life-saving water.

$10 will provide one person in Africa clean water for 10 years. It will literally change and possibly save someone's life. A mother. A child. A brother. A grandfather.

We are rallying together for a cause. Clean water. One day. $10. Asking everyone to let this be their first gift. Let water, let life be their first gift of the season.

Click here to be directed to the secure donation site of the highly recognized, non-profit, charity: water. All donations are tax deductible, and 100% of your donation will go to clean water solutions in West Africa.

Adoption Timeline

I've been wanting to post our adoption timeline as I know I was eager to follow along with other adoption timelines:

April 2008 talk to Keith on the way to the Brandon Fair about fostering or adopting and agree to look into fostering

May/June 2008 Attend fostering seminar (4 weekly sessions) in preparation for application.
Continue to discuss International adoption.

July 2008 order application packages from CAFAC and Imagine for International adoption
August 2008 Select CAFAC adoption agency for our Ethiopian Adoption (Agency fees 1 & 2)
Choose 4 families to act as references and prayer partners.

October 2008 Attend attachment seminar for fostering

November 2008 Attend CAFAC training seminar at Elkhorn
Everyone’s Dr Appointments – letter of health for homestudy

December 2008 Our lab tests/bloodwork and Mantoux tests (TB) 4 visits! for Homestudy
Order Criminal record checks for homestudy req.
complete homestudy questionnaire

January 2009 Order birth and marriage certificates for Dossier
2nd Dr apt for Keith and Leanne to confirm test results.

February 2009 Expresspost Homestudy Paperwork to CAFAC

March 2009 Complete Homestudy visits with social worker
Expresspost Dossier paperwork to CAFAC
Social worker confirms our homestudy is complete and sent to CAFAC
Make first ½ of Country payment to CAFAC

March 24 – Apr 13 Dossier Notarized at CAFAC

April 14, 2009 CAFAC sends dossier to the province

June 5, 2009 Received Provincial approval

June 5, 2009 Dossier sent to Foreign Affairs.

June 19, 2009 Dossier sent to Ethiopian Embassy in Ottawa for authentication

June 26, 2009 Dossier to Ethiopia! Arrives July 4, 2009



GATHERING OF DOCUMENTATION
(Agency estimated times in blue, Our actual times in red)
• Home study completion (*3-7 months) 7 months
• Collection of Dossier documents, including CAFAC course (*4-7 months) 7 months
• Provincial letter of approval for home study (1-2 months) 7w 4d. (14-4-09 - 5-6-09)
Estimated Running Total: 9 months
ACTUAL TIME: 9 months (minus 3 days)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DOSSIER PREPARATION
• Notarization (2 weeks) 3 weeks March 24 – April 14
• Legalization by Foreign Affairs in Ottawa (4-6 weeks) 2 weeks June 5-19
• Authentication by Ethiopian Embassy in Ottawa (3 weeks) 1 week!
Estimated Running Total: 2 months
ACTUAL TIME: 6 weeks
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DOSSIER SENT TO ETHIOPIA – June 26, 2009
DOSSIER PICKED UP IN ETHIOPIA – July 4, 2009
PROCESSING OF FILE IN ETHIOPIA UP TO CHILD REFERRAL
• Translation, legalization, and authentication (4 weeks)
• Adoption Committee Approval (4-8 weeks)
• Child Proposal [the "Referral"] (8-14 months **revised – likely 20-24 months)
Estimated Running Total: 10-24 months
ACTUAL TIME:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL STEPS UP TO TRAVEL
• Immigration paperwork (*3-7 months)
• Adoption Finalization (*2-8 weeks)
• Travel to Ethiopia (4-7 months after referral formally accepted)
Estimated Running Total: 4-9 months
ACTUAL TIME:

i ♥ faces Fix it Friday.

This week's photo is of an incredibly cute little boy and really needs very little done to it.
Here's the original:



Here's my color edit:



And a black and white:



I made adjustments to the levels, curves, reduced the dark circles under his eyes with the patch tool, brightened the eyes just a tad, brightened and smoothed his skin and cropped out the post on the left side of the picture.

Joy

Sweet boy