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!