Oooh, boy. This is a tough blog post to write. And that coming from one who blogs minimally, at best!
But it's not the time required to write this that's difficult. It's the content.
How to communicate it well, how to convey how the emotion and thought that went into this decision, how to finish it well. That's what's stinkin' hard to do right now. And why I've put it off for so long. But, with the upcoming release of my Spring Canopy collection this week, I knew it was the perfect time to announce that I'm wrapping things up. Making and sending off one final set of canopies (which happens to also be my favorite of all time!) will leave Hemmed In just where I want it: in the everyday lives of hard working, multi-tasking, love-pouring Mamas who could use a little help "simplifying life with baby" wherever they can find it!

The opening quote is the key point: You can do anything; but not everything simultaneously.
While the world around us screams by at lightening pace, and it seems everyone is handling more than ever with picture-perfect ease, the truth is: You can't do everything; despite what your social media feed may have you believe!

As our family and business have grown alongside each other, I've struggled under the weight of knowing that both require all of me, all the time. They're both full-time+ jobs, and cannot both be done well by one lone mama! Even moreso, our family is soon entering the world of Foster Care, and possibly another adoption therein, and our desire is for myself, in particular, to be freed up completely to welcome and care for the children God brings us, along with our own 2 young ones. The balancing act of tending to the daily demands of growing a business solo, while caring for children in need, is a feat that would require more than I'm willing to sacrifice...

...For now. Like my friend and fellow business-owning mentor says, "You can have it all; but not at the same time." The past 4 years has given the time to grow & build Hemmed In. Now, the time is to build into the lives of our children, and any other children who come to call our family 'home.' They deserve my everything, and it's time I "Simplify (my own) life with Baby!"

I'm not sure for how long, or what it would look like to pick up the reins again in the future. I don't know if we'll have many foster children or few; or if we'll adopt one or a few of the children we foster.

I hope that Hemmed In has served you fellow Moms well, and I hope that in some way, my stepping back also serves you. Maybe as a reminder that You're a Good Mom, no matter what daily motherhood looks like for you. Maybe just as an example that it's OK to say no to good things, and stand in the cross current of the cultural norm of constant busyness. I so appreciate you being with me on this journey through small business, adoption and now foster care. Like I've always said, we moms NEED each other! I'm very grateful I've had you all to share this with.

HOWEVER: all that to say, this is not happening today. In a few short months, yes, Hemmed In will shutter its windows. But there's still time for one more round of life-simplifying canopies to get into the hands of Mamas delivering a new batch of babies this spring!
And, I must say, I've saved the best for last:

These 4 canopies are made from the softest, 100% ORGANIC Cotton and are to.die.for!!

They're each just right for an everyday baby accessory that's really for mom: colors that are understated and modern, with trendy patterns that don't topple over into the cheesy baby realm.

This is an extremely Limited Release, with less than 10 canopies available in each style. They'll be available for purchase, and ready to ship, this Saturday, March 18th. If you're not already a Hemmed In VIP, make sure to sign up today to get in on Exclusive Offers on these and the last few Mini Dot or Solid canopies about to be clearanced!

Thank you so much for reading this, and thank you for your purchases in support of Hemmed In! I couldn't do this without you.

And just like that, our Adoption of this [insanely precious!] little boy is legally complete.
On National Adoption Day, we stood before a Judge, our family and friends, and took an oath to love, cherish + care for this little boy for a lifetime. We're so incredibly thankful we get to.
The journey's been long, complicated, and costly in more ways than we ever imagined. And while the paperwork and legalities are completed, the journey's really just beginning.

His story is unlike many already, and he's only 7 months old! It's a beautiful story, with many threads of families and lives and paths being woven together. I'm eager to share the beginning of his story with him as he grows; but even moreso, I can't wait to see the story that's yet to be written in his life.
Who he'll grow to be, what he'll grow to love and how he'll choose to live this life.

That's what makes this gift we received (just before our day in court!) even sweeter:

November 1st marked the beginning of National Adoption Month; probably the most significant "National anything" to our family, and thus, Hemmed In. I thought this year it'd be a fun way to blog through the month with a 3-part series of our Adoption Story; giving an opportunity for you; our community, to get to know the humans behind Hemmed In a little more, and to celebrate Motherhood from one of its more unique angles.

With today being National Adoption Day, a cause very near and dear to my heart, I thought I'd take a minute to share about the big Orphan Care Benefit Event we organized & held at our church a few weeks ago.
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Fundraising for an Adoption can seem really daunting, exhausting and make you a bit self-conscious if I can be so honest. And yet, it's a privilege to so many to take part in adoption in that way; helping support others who are actually adopting. People have ASKED to be involved in our adoption, and want to give towards it! So with the help of some really close friends, we came up with this event packed with entertainment, education and FUN all the while benefitting not only our adoption, but a future family's as well.
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 It was an evening of education & inspiration on the topic of Adoption & Orphan Care in general, with a full meal, Silent Auction and Professional photos for families. All proceeds went towards the last needs of our family's adoption funds and the establishment of an Adoption Grant that our church will be able to give to the next family that pursues adoption.

SO: if you are adopting yourself, or know of a family who is, this is an easily reproducible event that you can do too! It's fun for the whole family, and not only raises much-needed funds for adoption, but also educates and inspires others who may not have yet been introduced to the Orphan Care/Adoption world. Here's how it all came together...

We used these as invitations, promotional flyers and information for accompany our official Donation Request for our Silent Auction vendors. The flyers were printed double-sided and folded. (Click on the gallery to enlarge)

You can't see the set-up too well, but we had friends and family cook 1-2 dishes each, for a total of 10 dishes and a complete holiday-inspired meal. They served it from catering trays, with a table along the back wall of drinks & dessert. Every dish had a beautiful hand-lettered chalkboard easel identifying it and the quality was top-notch.  (TIP: Serving is a good idea to ration portions--we had no idea how many people to expect, and that way we didn't run out of food. We had to set up an extra table in a hurry, by the way. It was a PACKED house!!

We had ~25-30 donated items from businesses around our community, and set it up like a traditional silent auction. Bid sheets for each item with minimum starts and $2 incremental bids. This was open until the last 1/2 hour of the event, at which time we collected all the bid sheets and found the winners who were still mingling, picture-taking and nibbling on dessert. With a cashier still on duty, check out was quick and simple, and we didn't have any leftover items to hunt down winners afterwards!

My Graphic Designer for Hemmed In is also a professional photographer, so we thought--let's set up a fun photo-op for families to get their holiday photos taken! At $15 for one or $30 for three, this was a slam dunk, home run, super popular item of the evening. And so easy!! She just emailed them their high resolution digital file a week later and they can do with it what they want (like ordering Christmas cards early for once!!)

This was really the heart of the entire evening. We wanted to clearly share God's heart for the Fatherless, as He is the author of Adoption. And we wanted to make known His call to His people to "Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow." (Isaiah 1:17)
Our Emcee for the evening did a wonderful job communicating our desire to build a community of people who answer that call, and to be a support to families pursuing Orphan Care in any of its myriad opportunities. We also had a family share their recent adoption story, and showed this 8-minute video to start the program off in a powerful way...

As we've said from the beginning of our long & winding adoption journey--we do this because every child on the planet is worth the greatest effort.

 Orphan Sunday was started as a catalyst to get the family of Christ involved in what is so near to the heart of God: caring for "the least of these." The hope is that as churches, small groups, and ministries take one Sunday to learn about and pray for children in need here and abroad, that many would hear the call and respond in willingness to take part. Any part! 
"Orphan Care" doesn't exclusively mean adopting a child or serving in an orphanage in Africa. Of course, it can, and I believe God specifically calls those He desires to act in that way. But truly, Orphan Care is so much more; there's room for everyone to take part in a myriad of ways. The hope is simply that we would take seriously our own Adoption into the family of God through His Son Jesus, and the subsequent call for us to "Defend the cause of the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." ~Isaiah 1:17
Check out the list below of ways to take part, whether in your hometown or abroad.
(*some of these ideas are specific to our local area of Northern Colorado, but hopefully they spur you on to check for similar programs in your area! Click the image to enlarge)