Friday, December 24, 2010

Introducing. . . .

 Little Brother Foster

We received our call over a week ago and this little one still has no name. Maybe I should open it up for suggestions. We are struggling with this one.

He's such a cutie and we pray he fits right in. We are excited for him to join our family.




Likely these are current 6 month pictures.
Doesn't he look smashing in his pink sweather and purple bumbo?



Monday, December 20, 2010

Call me asap!!!


This was the message I received on Thursday morning while I was at Renew for Moms, my mommy group. I was getting ready to pick up Grayson, but decided to check my phone for any messages. And, I had one!!! This one!! Now, what in the world does that mean? I did as it said and called. Adam answered, which really surprised me. His news??

We've been matched!!!

I said, "what?" He repeated the news. I think I just stood there in complete shock. We were not expecting this phone call until January at the very earliest, so it caught me completely off guard when he said we had just gotten our referral call.

Isaiah 55:8 says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
   neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

When we started this adoption process, we were told it would take 18-24 months. I was just fine with that. Adding another child into the family when Gray is 2.5-3 sounded good to me. I thought I might be ready then. We also said we would take a child with special needs. With the backgrounds that we both have, this seemed like what we needed to do, or at least were experienced to do. And we preferred a little girl.

But just as this verse states, God's plans are often different than our plans. Fortunately, they are always for the better.

We have been matched with a healthy little boy!!! And are hoping to travel within 4-6 months. That means before Grayson is 2, or right around there, and that this entire process will likely be less than 1 year! This little one is 6 months old today. So, that means, I will have a 1 and a 2 year old running around!!! I should start claiming and clinging to Phillipians 4:13 now.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength

He's really cute, is in good health, and is being really well taken care of by his foster family. Once we get permission, we will post some pictures.

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Ready for Christmas?

I know I'm not ready yet. And if you are in the panic "16 Days Left" mode, I have some great gift ideas for you.
When we began this journey, I thought it would be great if we could do a fundraiser every month. Little did I know how much work, time, and effort they were. But, we survived the October and November fundraiser and now I have so many ideas for December. The following items will be for sale for quite a while, but I wanted to get them up and advertised in time for Christmas, because they are so cute. 

Photo Necklace



 
Think about all the girls in your life that would be thrilled to receive one of these this Christmas. The pictures are so cute under the 1 inch glass tiles and can be placed on a number of chains. These are also very cute with pretty paper behind or a monogram. The possibilities are numerous.

All you have to do is send me a picture and I will do the rest.
A completed necklace is $20. A completed tile (if you have a necklace you choose to use) is $10

Decorative Name Boards


These were such a big hit during the November giveaways, I am going to start making them (with Carla's permission) in case you really wanted one and didn't win. The one above is one that I did for a baby shower gift a few weeks ago. These can be done in various sizes. The one above is 18x18". This size will be $40. So, think about all that baby showers you are attending or about the little ones in your life whose nursery needs a cute name board.

Personalized Letters



I made these letters for Grayson's nursery to match his crib bedding. They are such a cute addition to any nursery. I am also going to start custom painting these. The size and detail will determine the cost of this item.

If you are interested in any of these items, please contact me. I would also appreciate you passing on these great items to friends, family, and coworkers. Thank you all for your continued support.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Follower update

I know some of you have had trouble becoming a "follower" to this blog, especially if you have a yahoo account. I did some searching and never really found an answer as to why that is not working. But did find that it's easy to create a google account. You can do this with the email address and password you already have, so it doesn't create a new email address or anything for you. So, to become a follower (meaning you will get email updates when we update the blog):

1. click Follow on the right sidebar above the pictures of followers
2. click on Google
3. set up a google account if you don't already have one
4. choose if you want to follow publicly or privately. If you follow publicly, your name and/or picture will be on one of the little squares. If you choose to follow privately, your picture and name will not be displayed, but you will still get the email update when we update the blog. I just won't have any idea you are following along.

Hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to ask any questions. If I don't know the answer, I'll google it!!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Drumroll Please!!!

It's finally time to announce the winners of the Countdown to Christmas Giveaways! We had a very busy weekend, so I apologize for being 2 days behind schedule. I know you have been sitting on the edge of your seat just wondering what great thing you might have won. Thanks to all that participated and a BIG thanks to those of you that donated prizes and funds. We really appreciate your help in this adventure to bring our next little one home.

So, without further ado. . .
The girly, girly, tutu-- Annie

Supercute nameboard-- Melissa

Alphabet photography-- Kim

Hooded towel--Carry

Candle--Judith

Creative Memories album-- Gayle

Pampered Chef salt and pepper grinder set-- Alicia

Cornhole boards-- David P.

Ethiopian coffee and silver necklace-- Amelia

T-shirt dress-- Leah

Christmas book collection-- Rachel R.

Scarf-- Kathy

Mary Kay winter lip set-- Cherry

Premier jewelry necklace-- Leah

Pampered Chef bowl and claws-- Amelia

Cupcakes-- Carla

Southern Living Cookbook-- Nicole

Crayon roll-up holder-- Kristi

And in case you are wondering how the winners were chosen-- I used http://www.random.org/ to make it as fair as possible.

Have a great week. I'll be contacting the winners to get more info on how to deliver your prizes.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Just Kidding!!

Just when you thought it was over and there were no more giveaways. . . There's one more. . . and it's a great one!!

This crayon roll-up holder has been made and donated by our friend, Kate. She has a bunch of really fun items that you can check out at http://www.katewdesigns.etsy.com/



Monday, November 29, 2010

Final Fundraiser post

Well all giveaways have been posted. Weren't there some great ones?! I wish I could keep them all for myself, but I have had a lot of fun posting them and seeing how many of you are interested in getting those fabulous things too. So, here's what will happen next. I am going to leave the fundraiser open for the rest of the week to give you a chance to continue telling friends, making donations, comments, and deciding on all that you want a chance to win. On Saturday, I will draw names for the winners. So, take a good look and comment on EVERY item you are interested in winning. The more people that participate, the better everyone's chance of winning something. I hope you all have had fun and thank you so much for your support. Thank you, especially, to all of my wonderful friends and family who donated great items for these giveaways!!

Here's a review of the rules. And remember, there is no obligation to donate. These are giveaways (FREE)! But you can't win if you don't comment. And the more entries you receive for doing the following, the better your chance at winning. This is raffle style, not an auction, so you can't outbid anyone (to disappoint some of you)!

  • Receive 1 entry for commenting on that specific post. And for all of you out there that don't know how to do that or don't have a google account, simply click "comments" at the bottom of the post and fill in your info as "anonymous". Leave your name though in the comment as I won't know who it is otherwise. Then click "post comment".
  • Receive 5 entries for your suggested donation of $10 or more through the "Adoption Donations" button in the top right corner of the blog.
  • Receive 5 additional entries for any donation over $25
  • Receive 2 entries for posting about our fundraiser on YOUR blog and linking it back to this blog.
  • Receive 1 entry for posting about our fundraiser on Facebook and linking it back to our blog.
  • Receive 1 entry for becoming a follower of this blog
  • Receive 1 entry for becoming a follower of our family blog
  • Receive 2 entries for sending an email about our fundraiser to 10 friends and carbon copying us as well.
When you comment on the item you are interested in, let me know how many entries you should have for that particular item, based on the the info above. The more entries you have for that item, the better your chance at winning the item.

Please let me know if you have any questions about how this all works.

Friday, November 26, 2010

It's Not Over Yet!

There's been one last donation for a Southern Living Christmas Cookbook. Cherry, Adam's mom, donated this and it has some great recipes with beautiful pictures. If you like to cook at Christmas, this would be a great addition to your kitchen.


A Delicious Ending!

A sweet ending to our online fundraiser. Our last giveaway is for up to a dozen gourmet cupcakes made by our friend Jennifer. These are beautiful and delicious and she has many flavors to choose from. These would make a great addition to any holiday party or simply to finish a great meal. You won't be disappointed!



Some flavors include: chocolate with strawberries and cream, red velvet, chocolate peppermint twist, and Florida Key.

 

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Pardon the Interruption

Many of you know that we had decided to move forward with a little girl that became available at the end of October. We were one of four families who wanted this little girl. So, we did a lot of extra paperwork and a long phone interview in order to continue in the process. Since there were several families going through this process, we had to be presented to the committee, who would then chose which family would be the best match. The committee met yesterday and decided not to match us. We really didn't think they would. We are glad she has been matched with a forever family and know that our little one is still out there. We have complete faith that God will match us with our "perfect match" when the time is right. Thanks for all the prayers during this process.

Let's Gather

As you gather with family today around the table, most of your bowls are filled to the brim. But, today's giveaway is for one that is empty, for now. It is a medium bamboo square bowl and salad claws from Pampered Chef. It has been generously donated by my aunt Evelyn.


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Simply Beautiful

Today's great give-away is for this beautiful necklace from Premier Jewelry. It is being donated by my friend, Trisha. This necklace is one of their top sellers every month.



Each year, Premier Jewelry donates a large amount of money towards supporting missionaries around the world. It's a great company with high values. To find out more about Premier's beautiful products, contact Trisha at 913-438-6868 or trishahamilton02@yahoo.com

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Pucker Up!

As winter approaches and the weather becomes drier, my lips need more attention and moisture. So, I am donating exactly what you need this winter to keep your lips exfoliated, moist, and full of color. Today's giveaway is for a Mary Kay Satin Lips set, which includes the exfoliating lip mask and the lip balm, which moisturizes for up to 8 hours. I am also throwing in a limited edition lip color duo in raisin and rosy (2 shade of pink). It comes with a small applicator brush in this compact with mirror.


If you have other questions about Mary Kay's fabulous products, please contact me.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Ready for Winter

This beautiful scarf is so nice, I don't want to give it away. I just want to keep it for myself. But, nonetheless, I will. It is being handmade and donated by my coworker, Amanda, who is very talented. She made a few things for Grayson when he was born that were so cute. So, I know this scarf will be fabulous too. The color may vary.




Sunday, November 21, 2010

Christmas Reading

Christmas break is always a good time curl up with a good book. Today's giveaway is for a collection of hardback Christmas books. This collection has been donated by our friend Gayle with Heaven Bound Books.


  • "The Heart of Christmas"--A Devotional for the Season by Hank Hanegraaff retails for $9.99
  • "The 12 Ways of Christmas"--Twelve truths of Christmas that often get buried under the busyness of parties and activities" by David Jeremiah retails for $12.99
  • "Christmas Wishes for You"--quotes and stories focusing on the real reason for Christmas by The Zondervan Corporation retails  for $6.99
  • "God's Message of Christmas Love"--devotional readings for the season by Eugene  H. Peterson retails  for $14.99
  • "Christmas Past"--  Christian fiction retails for $12.99
  • "The Gift of Christmas Present" -- Christian fiction retails for $16.99
For more info on Gayle's books, she can be contacted at momvictory@aol.com
 

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Just to Review

Here's a review of the rules. And remember, there is no obligation to donate. These are giveaways (FREE)! But you can't win if you don't comment. And the more entries you receive for doing the following, the better your chance at winning.

  • Receive 1 entry for commenting on that specific post. And for all of you out there that don't know how to do that or don't have a google account, simply click "comments" at the bottom of the post and fill in your info as "anonymous". Leave your name though in the comment as I won't know who it is otherwise. Then click "post comment".
  • Receive 5 entries for your suggested donation of $10 or more through the "Adoption Donations" button in the top right corner of the blog.
  • Receive 5 additional entries for any donation over $25
  • Receive 2 entries for posting about our fundraiser on YOUR blog and linking it back to this blog.
  • Receive 1 entry for posting about our fundraiser on Facebook and linking it back to our blog.
  • Receive 1 entry for becoming a follower of this blog
  • Receive 1 entry for becoming a follower of our family blog
  • Receive 2 entries for sending an email about our fundraiser to 10 friends and carbon copying us as well.
When you comment on the item you are interested in, let me know how many entries you should have for that particular item, based on the the info above. The more entries you have for that item, the better your chance at winning the item.

Look out boys (and dads)!

One little girl is going to win this adorable dress and look so CUTE!!

These have been made by my friend, Libby. She can make one in any size from 12 months to 4T. The fabric and colors will vary from these, but are sure to be nothing but fabulous!






Friday, November 19, 2010

Now, back to the girls!

We are halfway through the fundraiser and have another fabulous giveaway for today. It is an Ethiopian coffee bean necklace from Ten Thousand Villages. It is being donated by my friend Shelly, a mom who has adopted from Ethiopia and has been a great help and encouragement to us during this process.

To find out more about this fun piece of jewelry, check out their website. There is some neat info about Ethiopia and two of the great things they have to offer: coffee and silver. Both in this necklace!


Thursday, November 18, 2010

For the Guys

A big thanks to Nick and Kasey for generously donating their time and talent to make a set of cornhole boards for one lucky winner. These can be customized with any team or design the winner chooses. So, although winter is just around the corner, you can be brave and play in the living room, or pull these out in the spring for some backyard fun.


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Tis the Season-ings

Today's fabulous giveaway is for this salt and pepper grinder set with stand from The Pampered Chef. It was donated by my aunt Evelyn. This set is valued at $52. The grinders are topped with bamboo and are sitting on a bamboo stand.

It's not too late to join in on the fun of this fundraiser. Here's a recap of the rules or go here for the full post.

  • Receive 1 entry for commenting on that specific post. And for all of you out there that don't know how to do that or don't have a google account, simply click "comments" at the bottom of the post and fill in your info as "anonymous". Leave your name though in the comment as I won't know who it is otherwise. Then click "publish comment".
  • Receive 5 entries for your suggested donation of $10 or more through the "Adoption Donations" button in the top right corner of the blog.
  • Receive 5 additional entries for any donation over $25
  • Receive 2 entries for posting about our fundraiser on YOUR blog and linking it back to this blog.
  • Receive 1 entry for posting about our fundraiser on Facebook and linking it back to our blog.
  • Receive 1 entry for becoming a follower of this blog
  • Receive 1 entry for becoming a follower of our family blog
  • Receive 2 entries for sending an email about our fundraiser to 10 friends and carbon copying us as well.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Preserve Your Memories

Today's giveaway is for a beautiful Creative Memories Picfolio album. This album is perfect for the person who has a desire to scrapbook, but needs to do the quick and easy version. This album is perfect to start preserving your children's or grandchildren's precious moments. The album is 11x14 and holds up to 160 4x6 size photos.



 The album is designed with 2 vertical and 3 horizontal picture sleeves on each page ready to slide in pictures, journal boxes or embellishments.



The album was a generous donation from Nicole Hancock, a consultant for Creative Memories. If you wish to learn more about scrapbooking or check out their wonderful products, Nicole can be contacted at 913-634-6043

Monday, November 15, 2010

A warm fall glow

In my opinion, it's time to pull the candles out. When it gets cold outside, I love lighting a candle, especially one that smells like fall.

This candle is a 19 oz candle from Gold Canyon's baking line. It has been donated by Jennifer Tavernaro, a coworker of Adam's. I just wish I could attach the scent to this post, because the warm apple crisp smells delicious. It's perfect for the holidays!


To contact Jennifer about additional purchases from Gold Canyon, call 913-548-1891

If you are new to our blog and want to get in on these fabulous giveaways click here for the details

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Oops! Small mistake

I just fixed the blog to allow "anonymous" comments. Sorry. I didn't realize that was not an option. So now everyone can comment away. You can also post as "name/url" and just sign your name. You don't have to post a URL. Hope that helps everyone.

Ready for bath time!

After a nice bath, it's necessary to bundle your little one up. Today's giveaway is for the best hooded towel I have ever used. It is being donated by Robin, a lady in our church. She made this one for my baby shower and it's the only one I use. It is so plush and big (a good thing when your little one outgrows the small towels sold for infants). I LOVE it!!!

The winner will receive a hooded towel in a gender specific or neutral color. Please specify when you comment if you would like one for a boy, girl, or neutral.


Saturday, November 13, 2010

Alphabet Photography

My good friend, Kristi, is donating her amazing photography talent as she has been doing some fabulous alphabet photography. She lives in Vienna, Austria, so all photos are taken in fabulous places around Europe

The winner will receive a framed piece with any word or name they choose. A card describing each picture and where it was taken will also be included. These are selling for several hundred dollars, so it's a great prize.




If you're just joining us and wondering what is going on click here for the details of these fabulous giveaways

Friday, November 12, 2010

Super Cute Nameboards

These name boards are so cute, and hand painted, by Carla Smith, a friend from church.

The winner will receive a custom board made for any name or monogram they choose. These are quite large in size (24"x24").

I think our new little one might need on of these in his/her room too!



To see more of her work, click here

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Girly, Girly Tutus and Headbands

These tutus are made by Amy Vance, a friend from church, and are just so cute. I have my fingers crossed for getting a girl who will one day be running around in one of these.

The winner will receive this tutu with matching hairbow.



Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Countdown to Christmas {in November}

Well, it's been a month since our last fundraiser and we survived it. So, it's time for another one. This time one online! We are moving right along in the process and could be matched soon. As exciting as that is, it's also a wee bit nerve wracking as we will have to pay our largest amount of money yet (~$20,000) to the agency immediately to "confirm" or "hold" that child. Unfortunately, we are nowhere near being ready for that yet, but have full confidence that when that time comes, be it sooner or later, God will provide all that we need.

For the rest of the month of November, I will be posting various items for you to win. These are all really nice things and any of them would make a fabulous Christmas present, either for you or someone you know. If you see something you really like, let me know and your name will be entered for a chance to win that item. You can do this multiple ways for even more chances to win. So, come back daily (as I intend to post a new prize daily until they run out) and check out the new things.

  • Receive 1 entry for commenting on that specific post. And for all of you out there that don't know how to do that or don't have a google account, simply click "comments" at the bottom of the post and fill in your info as "anonymous". Leave your name though in the comment as I won't know who it is otherwise. Then click "publish comment".


  • Receive 5 entries for your suggested donation of $10 or more through the "Adoption Donations" button in the top right corner of the blog.


  • Receive 5 additional entries for any donation over $25


  • Receive 2 entries for posting about our fundraiser on YOUR blog and linking it back to this blog.


  • Receive 1 entry for posting about our fundraiser on Facebook and linking it back to our blog.


  • Receive 1 entry for becoming a follower of this blog


  • Receive 1 entry for becoming a follower of our family blog

  • Receive 2 entries for sending an email about our fundraiser to 10 friends and carbon copying us as well.
You do not have to leave seperate comments for each entry. Simply comment one time and let me know how many entries you qualify for. I hope to be drawing for the winners at the beginning of December so that all prizes can be shipped or delivered in time for Christmas.


We have set up the paypal button at the top for anyone to make donations. It is completely safe. We have used paypal for years without any problems. If you would feel more comfortable donating another way, let me know and we can work something out.


Thank you so much for supporting us in this effort. It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a REALLY big village to adopt one.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

One Step Closer!!

We feel like we have turned a big corner today. Our completed and approved home study arrived in the mail today! Yay!! This means we can start applying for grants and are now officially on the "wait strip". Next, we apply for immigration. We can do that now and will probably get that done by the end of the week.


Saturday, October 16, 2010

Our First Big Blessing





We had our first big adoption fundraiser last weekend and to say it was a success would be an understatement. It was a very stressful week with the garage sale, our first homestudy visit from the social worker, and Adam's parents coming into town, but it finally all came together. We only heard about our neighborhood garage sale two weeks prior, so we started the planning and rounding up donations. We were so blessed to have such wonderful friends donate so many things. Becuase we had so much stuff, we couldn't walk through the garage by Thursday, which made the organization piece really difficult. We posted ads and Adam made some great signs to advertise and try to round up as much traffic as possible. We opened Friday morning to people already waiting and in the first hour had made nearly $100! We had a steady stream of people ALL day long. There was no lull like most garage sales experience. We finally decided to close the garage around 5:30 and someone came and knocked on our door to ask if we would open it for her. Then we had 3 families (close friends) come by that evening to shop. Saturday was another great day with lots of people coming by. I've never seen a sale like this with so many people. We had several people come by, buy stuff, go home, and come back with a box of things they wanted to donate. We gladly took it, but in the back of our minds were thinking, "we're trying to get rid of all of this stuff, not take more." We finally closed the sale around 4:30 on Saturday after two LONG days. We were all exhausted, but so pleased with how it turned out. We were so blessed with good weather all weekend, lots of shoppers, so many donations, and in the end, a VERY LARGE grand total!! God is so good to give us the encouragement and confirmation we need when we start to feel discouraged. We know we are on the right track and are even more excited to bring our little one home as soon as possible.

Thanks so much, friends, for all the donations. We so greatly appreciate them. And a huge thannks to Adam's parents for helping in such a big way all weekend. We could not have done this sale without you.




Tuesday, October 5, 2010

The attack continues!

This is a VERY busy week for us on the adoption front. We are having our first big (hopefully) fundraiser this weekend with a garage sale. It's the classic adoption fundraiser, but has the potential to bring in some good money. So, we sent out an email to friends and coworkers to donate items and come shopping. We have gotten a good and big response. So, now we are a little overwhelmed on how to organize it all. We have some nice things, and all we need now are shoppers with lots of money!


So, I guess it's been a couple of weeks since we've felt Satan attack our finances, but never fail, here we go again. On Sunday night, with a garage full of stuff, the spring broke on the garage door as I was trying to put it down. It wouldn't go up after that. Of course, the one part of the house that needs to be in working order for this fundraiser is now broken. We were able to get a good recommendation for someone to fix it and it was back in working order yesterday ($200 later), just in time for several guys to bring several loads of stuff over for the sale.

This has made me realize that this child is very important and is meant for our family. The more that happens to try to get us down during this process, the more I am beginning to feel connected to this little one. I am digging deeper to keep on fighting because I know it is worth it and this child deserves a BIG fight.


We are moving forward. We had our first visit with our social worker tonight. We have been really stressed out this week with all that we have going on, so are relieved to have this piece over. There was really nothing to stress over with this visit. We cleaned the entire house, but she didn't even want to look at it. Oh well. Now it's clean for Adam's parents, who arrive on Thursday. She didn't have any hard or uncomfortable questions for us and was here less than an hour. Grayson was a little handful and wanted a lot of attention, so the process was a little chaotic. I think she understood our constant running around to try to keep Grayson entertained and quiet. She will write up a lengthy report about us and will be back next week for us to proof it. Then it's off to the main office to be approved. Our home study is nearly finished! Yay!