Making a house homey

The night before the homestudy, Nick and I hustled to finish the last minute projects and triple checked our to-do  list to make sure we were in compliance with all the home standards. And of course we made more work for ourselves than we needed to. But you get one chance to make the house perfect - right?
Our to-do list had two categories. 1) Things that the state requires. 2) Things Jaklin requires

setting up the crib

Things that the state requires:

• Double lock meds - Check
• Lock up all paints - Check
• Lock up all cleaning supplies - Check
• Ensure outlet covers are on all outlets - Check
• Get 5lb fire extinguisher - Check
• Set up bed for kid(s) - Check

Things Jaklin requires:

• Replace the dead, sun scorched flowers with new, living flowers - Check
• Sweep and mop the dog fur up - Check
• Drop off furry dogs at the groomers so they are so fresh & so clean, clean - Check
• Rearrange the master bedroom furniture - Check
• Switch around wall art in the whole condo - Check
• Make delicious cookies - Check
• Put out fresh flowers on the kitchen table - Check 
• Ensure you have refreshing summer drink options. ie: Pink Lemonade & Sweet Tea - Check
• Clean baseboards - Check

yum, it smells so cozy.

So Wednesday came and I took the whole day off of work and Nick took a half day.  I worked hard to find the perfect radio station that could set the mood. I settled on the "Coffee House" station. Then I pulled out the dough I made from the night before and baked the cookies so the whole house would smell of chocolate & vanilla.  Because nothing says "homey" like fresh baked cookies.

A dear friend came over in the morning and brought me a vanilla latte and let me practice my congenial home tour on her. Her daughter of toddler age gave me a raving review.

Our Family Developer (FD) arrived and was warm and engaging. As planned, Nick arrived an hour after she got there, so I was able to give her the grand tour before she interviewed us both. She was pleased with the room setup and said everything looked great. She approved of the locked meds, the fire extinguisher & outlet covers. 

Then Nick came home and we did our joint interview there at the kitchen table - by the freshly arranged, homey flowers : )  I thought this was a great time to break out the delicious drinks.  Nick and I told the FD how we met, how we came to the fostering decision and what our expectations were for fostering. That lasted for an hour or so, then I offered up the cookies. They were a big hit. Nick kept going back for more. 

Then Nick went up stairs and she interviewed me separately for an hour or so. Then we swapped. I went upstairs and Nick was interviewed separately. I certainly was not listening from the hallway.

All and all I think we did well. We made her laugh a couple of times and we were forthcoming with our thoughts, fears and expectations. 

And now we wait. The FD said it will take about 4 weeks to write the homestudy document & get it approved by the various channels. Once that happens, we are on the "Open List" and we could get a call for a child at any time.

We have to give a huge thanks to everyone who prayed for us and wished us luck. We certainly felt confident and positive about the whole experience. Again, we have the best support network ever!