New Adoption Fund-raiser: Win a Wii U Deluxe!

Would you like a chance to win a Wii U Deluxe?? Does that sound like the perfect gift for someone on your Christmas shopping list? Does that sound like the perfect gift from you...to you?? Well, here is a great opportunity for you to do just that!

Our family has teamed up with the Cox family, for a great adoption fund-raiser that benefits both of our families! We are both working feverishly to raise the funds we need to bring home a child from the same country. We are adopting a little boy, and they are adopting a little girl. You can be a part of helping two children leave their orphanages forever, to be welcomed into the loving arms of their new families...all while entering to win a great Wii U Deluxe! Does that sound like a good plan?  Well, here are the details...

For a $5 donation, you will get 1 chance to win the Wii, and for a $10 donation, you will get 5 chances to win the Wii! This giveaway runs until Saturday, December 15th, so NOW is your chance!

 You can donate here at our Chip-In Event...







or you can donate here...Family Sponsorship Page for the Cox family ! Or...you can donate in both places if you like and bless both families!

After you have donated, you must e-mail me your receipt of payment to mommy2myblessings@yahoo.com, in order for your entry/entries to be counted and included in the giveaway!

Please share our event, and consider donating to our families for a chance to win! Christmas is a VERY HARD time of year to fund-raise, but all that we really want for Christmas is to be on our way to bringing home our children. Please pray that both of our families will reach the goals we need to so that we can fund our adoptions!

I will leave you with a picture of each child that you can help get home!

                                                                Gage for our family 
                                                                            and

                                                               Dollie for the Cox family

Please pray, share, and donate to help us get these little ones home....so that they do not have to spend any more Christmas-times like this in an orphanage. Thank you and God Bless!!!

Many, many thanks to the kindness and generosity of the Cox family for including our family in this fund-raising event! Thank you for blessing us in this way, Rachel!

Catching Up...and a GREAT Announcement!

Hello everyone!

It has been WAY TOO LONG since I have updated our blog here. I am sorry to leave you hanging!

The reason for the delay is pretty much that life has been crazy busy...some of it usual life stuff, but mostly because I have been fund-raising like a mad woman! I am working like crazy to raise the money we need to go and get our little man out of his orphanage and home with us where he belongs! We have also been busy working on completing our Hague Adoption Class requirements, and working on paperwork etc.
We have had garage sales, on-line auctions, vendor fund-raisers, you name it. It is coming along SLOWLY but surely. It is SO worth the effort, but fund-raising is starting to feel like a full-time job some days!

I do have a bit of news to share! We found out today that our commitment documents were accepted by the government officials in our son's country! Hooray for some encouraging progress! It was such exciting news to receive! Soon we will be assembling dossier paperwork and really getting down to work!

We still have almost $3000 that we need to raise to pay our first installment of agency fees. So, let me share three fund-raisers that we currently have going.

1) Our BUY-IT-NOW Christmas Gift Sale !
In this event, we are selling all brand new with tag/in packaging items. Stop by and do some holiday shopping and help us bring our son home at the same time!

2) Our National ADOPTION Month Challenge !
November is national adoption month? Did you know that? Isn't that great? In this event, we are trying to raise the rest of our first set of fees by Thanksgiving Day. Now THAT would certainly be something to be thankful for, wouldn't it? Can you help us reach our goal?

3) Our Skip-A-Meal Fundraiser !
For this event, we are not actually asking you to not eat a meal, but to consider not eating out for one, and perhaps donating the difference to help us raise the funds we need for our adoption.

So, like I said, I am super busy working on getting our little guy home...and planning these fund-raisers! I think I am going to start dreaming about fund-raisers at this rate! So please, if you can, would you consider helping us reach our goal? Every single dollar gets us closer, and blesses our hearts beyond measure. It is like climbing a mountain, but knowing that every step gets us a little bit farther along than we were before. And please, oh please, share with anyone that you think may be interested in helping. And above all, please pray for us on this journey. Pray for us as every decision is made,  and every paper is signed, notarized, and apostilled. Pray for us to be able to negotiate the process as quickly as possible to go and get our son out of his orphanage and into our family!

And I shall leave you with some super-duper cuteness, because that is what you are really here for aren't you? Oh, come on and admit it. I will understand. I feel the same way when I walk by his pictures in our kitchen every day!                                    Here's our boy.......

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

Hey everybody! It has been a while since I have posted. We have been busy doing paperwork for our home-study and commitment documents. Well, today we got our commitment papers notarized, apostilled, and sent off to Eastern Europe via Fed-Ex. And what that means is, that I can share a picture of the little one that we are adopting!

                                           So....HERE IS LITTLE "G"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Little "G" is almost 2 years old and has Cerebral Palsy. Isn't he just precious? Look at those cheeks, and that beautiful hair. We can't wait to bring him home to love on and get him the therapy he needs. We are getting a room all ready for him. Our home-study should be completed within a matter of weeks. When I get a home visit date and things like that I will be sure to update the blog.

So, that is my exciting news for the day! We are still feverishly working on our paperwork and fund-raising.
I can't wait until we will be able to have our first visit with our little man and get to hold him in my arms!

TREE OF THANKS FUNDRAISER!

                               CHECK OUT OUR EXCITING NEW FUNDRAISER! 

Right now we are raising funds to finish paying for our home-study and our commitment fees. Would you like to help us? We are going to make a beautiful "Tree of Thanks" poster to put on the wall of our future child's room! For a donation of $5 or more, you can "buy" a leaf to go on the tree. We will write your name on your leaf. Each night our child will be tucked cozy into bed right next to the names of the people who helped him to get home. Doesn't that sound great? Surrounded by a reminder of so much love and kindness! ♥

It is SO EASY to participate, help our family in a personal way, and make a BIG DIFFERENCE in the life of an orphan!

You will find a Blue Chip-In Event Donation Box on the upper-right-hand-side of this blog. You can donate $5 or more here, or leave me a comment if you would prefer to send a check etc.

Then, as each donation comes in, I will add a leaf. There will be a total of 50 leaves, and once they are all completed I will put up the tree and take a picture for everyone to see!

A HUGE thank you to everyone who is coming along side of us in this adoption journey! Your prayers and encouragement are an amazing blessing to us!

Online Tupperware Party!!

Guess what???

I am here to announce a new fund-raiser we have going to raise funds for our adoption costs!



A friend who desires to help us fund-raise has set up this online only Tupperware Sales Event! 
                                                                 THANKS, SUSAN!

                                           Tupperware is a trusted name featuring great products.

To make a purchase:

TUPPERWARE ADOPTION FUND-RAISER


For any and all items that you purchase, our family will receive 40% of the sale to put towards our adoption fees. That is nearly half of the profit, and would be a great way to help us with our process while purchasing home items that you need. All sales will first be applied to our home-study funding needs, and any amount over that will go towards our commitment fees!

And don't forget, Christmas is coming soon! Get some of your shopping done early, while helping out a great cause. All you have to do is make a purchase through this specific Tupperware Party and you are on your way. But hurry, this party ends on September 17th!

To make a purchase and help our family give an orphan a loving home, click this link:
http://order.tupperware.com/pls/htprod_www/!twx$eparty_ctl.p_guest_welcome?pv_eparty=04760d18156363f84b6bdf36f971f8ab

Even if you cannot make a purchase at this time, please share with friends and family so that we can get this information out there! THANK YOU!

Oh, and one more _small_ announcement. 

There is a certain little boy in Eastern Europe that we are waiting to see if we will be officially matched with for adoption. It will be a little bit before we know for sure, but I will share more when I can! So exciting!

Small Update On Our Adoption Process!

Today I have a small update for you on where we stand with our adoption plans!

We have received preliminary permission to proceed with pursuing adopting a child with special needs from a country in Eastern Europe. We got this permission from the child placing agency. We are just in the beginning stages, but we are thrilled that they will be working with us! We have filled out our application for them, and they will be contacting us after they review and approve it. Our next task is to schedule a phone interview with their staff. After that, we will begin completing our required adoption education classes. It feels so good to be making some progress and heading down the right path that will lead to our future child, who will be an ORPHAN NO MORE at the end of that path!

Soon, we will be knee-deep in all of the paper-work associated with international adoption. Especially since we plan to complete our home-study update in October...that is not very long from now!

Which brings me to my next topic...FUND-RAISING! So far, we have raised a little bit more than $200 of the $750 we need for our home-study. That will be followed by commitment fees/agency fees soon after, so we really need to get serious about raising funds. But, one step at a time. To meet our first goal, we need to raise approximately $550 more by October 1st.

Here are some opportunities to help us raise this money!

1) My home business: Homecomings, Headbands, and More 100% of all proceeds go toward helping us fund our adoption. You can also visit my store on Facebook.

2) Check out my Starfish Poem Prints that I put together here: Home-Study Helper
These prints make great gifts, and are available for a donation of $5 or more!

3) For my local friends, we will be having a garage/yard sale to benefit our adoption on
Saturday, August 25th, from 8am-4pm. If anyone has anything they would like to donate, please let me know! We will have lots of toys, household items, furniture, etc. I will also be featuring some of my store items!

4) We have a Chip-In Event set up to run until October 1st. You can find a blue donate box on the upper-right-hand side of this blog. Secure donations can be accepted via PayPal/Credit Card by clicking here. I will also post it below:







Please consider helping us reach our 1st goal! Our home-study goal! We are currently $550 short, and I know that together we can get it done! Also, please pray! Pray for our process, for our fund-raising, and above all, please pray for our to-be-adopted child. An orphan's life is not an easy one. We want to get to our child and bring them into a home filled with God's love ASAP. We will be working as fast as we can. Every day matters, there is no time to waste! To those who give/pray/support/encourage we say...

AND....

From Bad....to More Bad. :(

Today is Thursday and I have quite a TLC post for you today. It is a very difficult entry.

Most often, I feature three or four waiting children each week, but this time I feel led to share only one.
One child who has been through so much that I am compelled to focus only upon him. I am going to shout for him today because he is worth it. He deserves it, even if he most likely does not know it himself.

Meet Thad:

This poor sweet angel. He is 9 years old. He has severe brain trauma from physical abuse. Thad’s disabilities are a result of trauma that he experienced while being abused. He was removed from the abusive environment and placed in an orphanage where he still did not receive the proper level of care for his needs. He’s considered significantly delayed and is extremely small for his age.

Imagine it, if you can. Abused and mistreated so severely that your brain is injured. Then, imagine being sent to a place where you are neglected, starved, and left miserable and alone.

This little boy has had no rescue, he has had no refuge. Just heartache. Somehow he is still fighting and surviving. God must have an amazing plan for this little fellow's life. Thad needs a chance. He needs a family to step up and whisk him out of the place where he is. He needs someone to show him what love feels like. What it feels like to be safe, well-fed, and comfortable. He is waiting for someone to see his potential and his value. Someone who is willing to step up and say, "NO MORE!" No more of this life for this precious child that was created in God's image. He is waiting for someone to share God's love with him. Please, help me find Thad a family so that he does not have to wait any longer than he already has. 

Share this post! Share his profile! Let's get his face out there so that his Mama and Daddy can find him and bring him home! Help me yell for Thad! Help me rally around this child. He is waiting...while we go to sleep in our cozy beds. He is waiting...while we sit down to dinner. He is waiting...while we go to the park to watch our children happily play. He is just waiting....for us to ACT!

Home-study Helper!!

Would you like to help us raise the money we need to pay for our adoption home-study? If so, I have a great opportunity for you!

I have put together some prints featuring the "Starfish Poem". This poem is very popular within adoption circles.
Each print is mounted on card stock and is frame ready! Also, each print comes with your own little starfish to add a beautiful finishing touch! These would look lovely in any home, and also would make a great gift for your special friend or family member who has adopted, or is currently in the process of doing so.

You can get one of these prints by making a donation of $5.00 or more to our Home-Study Fee Chip-In Event below. I have 20 of these available and waiting for you!




You can make an eternal difference in the life of a child! Please do not miss out on "making a difference for this one"!

If you would like one of these lovely prints, make a donation of $5.00 or more to the Chip-In Event  listed above, and then leave me a comment on this post so that I can get one right out to you! 

Standing Up For What You Believe In!

Today, many Christians have gone out to support Chik-Fil-A restaurants in their stand for Biblical authority. They are lined up and waiting in line for hours to spend their money in an effort to encourage this company's right to free speech. I am happy to see it. I stand behind this franchise's choice to stand firm in their convictions. It is so refreshing to see, and rare these days.

 But, with that said, I wish that those SAME Christians would choose to put their $$ where their mouths are in terms of orphan care. Just think of how fast we could get families funded to adopt if that many people put that same amount of money towards helping the children waiting in orphanages as it cost them to fill up on waffle fries, chicken nuggets, and sweet tea!

I am not trying to take away from this event in any way. But there is a difference. Let's face it. Treating the family to a meal out may be a bit of a financial stretch, but it is still in some ways serving ourselves.
To give to the orphans is sacrificial. They have no way of paying you back, but their need is great. It is HARD to think about children being left in cribs, hungry and alone. It is PAINFUL to look at pictures of children that are teenagers that are thrown away because of their physical needs or differences. It is not always an easy thing to do, but Christians, we MUST DO IT! James 1:27 was written to all of us.

I would just like to see the same kind of passion be displayed in such a large outpouring for waiting children.
I am not trying to belittle those who have participated in this event, I just want to see a burden for these little ones.

I am not writing this post to try and cause division among believers. I am sharing out of the deep burden I have upon my heart. This event has proven, it has shown, that under the right circumstances, we can come together and make a difference for the Kingdom of God. Please, won't you join with me in making a difference for the least of these? The ones that have no voice? They cannot ask for help, so I am asking for them. Join me in prayer for the fatherless. Share this message so that more can be awakened to this need.
Donate to support waiting children or families who have stepped out in faith to be a difference to one or more of these children. And consider adoption, your son or daughter may be waiting for you!

Family Follow-Up!

Today's entry is a follow-up to my FAMILY FRIDAY post. If you follow that link you can learn about the
Rogers family.

They began the process of adopting a sweet little boy and girl after they had only been home for 4 months from adopting another little boy and girl! They are a wonderful example of hearing God's voice and obeying His call immediately! 

Their adoption is still not fully-funded, and they are in country right now working on bringing their new little ones home. They have stepped out in faith, and we need to step up to the task of getting them over this last hurdle!

An advocate friend of mine is having a give-away here to help this family with their final need:
The Over-the-Wall Giveaway
There are only 2 more days to enter this giveaway and have the opportunity to win some fantastic prizes!

Their FSP (family sponsorship page)  needs to read $13,000 to be fully-funded. You can find their page here: Rogers Family .

Just think...you can enter to win gift certificates, jewelry, and lots of gorgeous hand-made items, and at the same time help these two beauties get home to their new lives with their forever family:

Bernadette

AND...

Mason

Don't miss an amazing opportunity to help this family bring home these two treasures! You can make an eternal difference for this family and their soon-to-be son and daughter!

As always, please pray, share this post/information, donate if you can, and ADOPT!

Time to be the Hands and Feet of the Lord!

Today is Friday folks! And today is going to be what I am going to call a FAMILY FRIDAY!

There are families that are stepping out in faith to adopt, some of them who have already adopted not long ago, and they are back at it again. They are following God's call on their lives to care for the orphans. I am going to share some of these families with you. These families need us to rally around them and help them in this final part of their adoption journey.

First up is the Rogers family:

They are adopting two children after just getting back from adopting two more 4 months ago! They stepped on a plane today to fly to their future son and daughter's country and they are still $3500 short of having their adoption fully funded. If you would like to help them raise the rest of the money they need to complete their adoptions please click on their name and it will take you to their Reece's Rainbow family sponsorship page.

                                                   Here are their precious children-to-be:

Bernadette

Mason

Next is the Marble family. They also have trusted the Lord and gotten on board an airplane heading to adopt two children without being fully funded. They are short $4900.  We need to help these families! We need to pray for them, we need to share their need, and we need to partner with them financially on this last leg of their journey. To donate to the Marble's click on their family name and it will take you to their sponsorship page. All donations are tax-deductible.

Here are their darling sons-in-waiting:

Chandler

Robert

Finally, there is the Friedl family. They are also adopting two children. Two beautiful waiting little girls. They have already left for their country and they are still an estimated $2000 short on funds. (They are still waiting on some fund-raising tallies.) We need to push them over the edge to the finish line! They are almost there! To donate to the Friedl's just click on their family name above. 3 families and a total of 6 children who will be orphans no more. This is important and they need our help.

Here are their cute soon-to-be daughters:

Erin

Bethany

It is time. Time to stand with these families and help them bring home these darlings into their loving families. They have done the work. The fund-raising, the paperwork, the waiting, and so much more. All that stands in the way now is money. Money that I know can easily be raised with what we can each contribute if we join together. Listen, people. There are only a few things we can do on this earth that have eternal value. THIS is one of those things. YOU can make a difference in the lives of these children and their waiting families...and NOW is the time! I THANK you on their behalf! 

This Thursday TLC is URGENT!

It is Thursday again, and that means it is time for another waiting child "Tender Loving Care" post. This week's entry is going to be a little bit different than the previous ones. This time all of the children I will be listing have something in common. They are all within mere months of aging out from their ability to be adopted. That fact alone sounds bad enough. But do you know what this really means for them? It means that if they are not rescued, they will be left there for the rest of their lives. They MUST be redeemed from the cribs where they lay before they turn 16 years old. These children have waited SO long. Imagine the spirit and drive they all must have to have lasted this long. Turning 16 is supposed to mean good things. Gaining more independence and responsibility. Growing more and more into adulthood and life experiences. Turning 16 should not be akin to a death sentence!

Now I want to introduce you to these priceless treasures...

                                                            First, we have Trina :

Trina ages out in October.

Next, this is Jared:

Jared ages out in October, also.

Here we have Stefan:

Stefan ages out in September. It is the end of July, now!

And finally, here is Tommy:

Tommy will be aging out early next year.

Please, please help me find families for these 4 children. 3 boys and 1 girl who have spent 16 years  living in an institution. 16 years in a crib. Can you even fathom that? If I had not told you how old these dear ones are would you have even guessed that they were teenagers? I know that our Lord is mighty to save.  These precious children were made in His image, just like you and I were, and they are worth it. They are worthy of the love of a caring family. Please, let us find them families before they are hidden away forever. They have been hidden in darkness for too long. It is time for them to come out into the light.  I just know that whoever steps out into faith to rescue these children will be blessed beyond measure. The clock is literally ticking on their lives!

Home-study Hoops--RESULTS!

Yesterday was the day we had our big HOMESTUDY HOOPS event, and it was a big success!

Edited to add: As of July 26th, 2012 we have raised $180 via this fund-raiser! We are just waiting for one more donation to come in! All glory to God!!

All 6 of the children participated and managed to get 217 baskets in within the hour time-frame. I am SO proud of them! They worked hard and had fun, which is always a great combination. Out of those baskets, our son Kyle made 175 single-handedly! This fund-raiser idea was his idea, and he was committed to getting the task done! I LOVE that my children have a heart for orphans. It will not just be my Husband and I who adopt, our whole family will be!


For those who have asked and planned to participate, the way to donate is through this Chip-In Event:

You can click on the button above, or on the one found on the upper right-hand corner of the blog-page. They are both the same, so either one will work. After all of the donations are in, I will post how much our total was!

Now, who wants to see some pictures of all this basketball action? We took a bunch! So, here you go!