One Down, Two To Go

Our countdown continues! With Christmas behind us, we are approaching the New Year and with anticipation, the birth of a sweet baby boy. 


We have been blessed so much by those who have given towards our adoption fund and through our fundraisers. It's so awesome to see the Father's heart at work through His people. 


Our deadline goal for the agency wasn't completely met, but we are so very close. We need your help in raising the last $1500 in agency fees. If 150 friends could give just $10 each, we'll have it! We're so honored to be working with a Godly agency (a post for another day). They're willing to give us a little more time to raise the final amount. Would you help us bring our balance to $0? 


With the agency goal met, we'll only have about $2800 more to raise for our legal fees. Our t-shirt and coffee fundraisers are still active. For monetary donations, our Paypal link is on the sidebar. We also have an awesome local fundraiser scheduled for January 10. A fun night of Blingo Bingo is in the works. Be sure to visit our Facebook page for more details. 


Do you make New Year's resolutions? Aside from my usual personal goals, like losing weight, getting out of debt, etc., I will walk out James 1:27 to the best of my ability. How about you?






Happy New Year!

Countdown!!

We're in countdown mode! 


Countdown to Christmas!


Countdown to the New Year!


Countdown to baby!


Countdown to the final amount we need to raise for the adoption!!


Would you help us bring home our baby boy? We have just this week to come up with the last $2200 for the agency! We'll still have about $2800 to raise for legal fees for next month, but our focus is getting the last amount to the agency in one week. 


Our coffee and  t-shirt fundraiser's are active. I'll be listing a few items for an online auction on our Facebook page. And last, but not least, our Paypal button is available on the sidebar for monetary donations. Any amount is a blessing!  We are so very thankful for all who are helping us bring home our precious gift! 


God Bless each and every one of you! Please take time to reflect what the true meaning of the Christmas season is all about and treasure your time with your loved ones! 

Amazing Updates!

Actually, I debated on the title being "Amazing That I'm Updating", but decided against it. Hopefully, the news I'm sharing will make up for it.


Well, without writing a whole novel, our big news is that we've been matched with a birth mom!!! She's due January 1st & we are absolutely ecstatic! There will be so much more to share about our story, but for now, we need your continued prayers that all works out according to God's plan. 


As most of you know, we've posted all of our fundraising efforts on Facebook and sent out emails. We had also applied for a couple of grants and a no interest adoption loan. We were denied for one of the grants and the loan, both stating they just didn't have the funds to help everyone who applies. We are still waiting to hear back from one of the grants. We also didn't have a specific amount, but now we do and we need your help! We will need to raise almost $12,000 total and $4,000 of that in about a week! Who wants to help bring our baby boy home? We still have our coffee and t-shirt fundraising links here on the sidebar and the paypal link for monetary donations. Would you also please consider sharing this with your friends? We are trusting God will provide through his people!


I will update often! 

Updating....

I'm behind. Anyone else out there know the feeling? 


I wanted to start a fundraising ticker with the amounts for quick updating, but haven't been successful. 
The 1st online auction brought in $176. The final amounts posted are less than what our total is, thanks to some awesome friends who added a little extra.  I consider every single one of those dollars a blessing! I'm gathering everything together to begin auction number 2 very soon. Stay tuned!

"Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act." Prov. 24:1

Coffee Fundraiser

Another wonderful opportunity for adoptive families to raise funds is the Just Love Coffee Roasters. Check out our store's link on the sidebar. They have really great packaging that would make a great gift teamed with a mug for someone in your life who loves coffee. Hint. Hint. 

T-Shirt Fundraiser

So excited to have launched our t-shirt fundraiser through Adoption Bug. 


Check out the link on the sidebar! 

Adoption Updates, etc.

Our first fundraiser is off to a slow start. We launched the first online auction from our Facebook page. We are getting many people viewing it, but so far only one bid. Hopefully, we'll get some great bids soon. 


We already have a few donations towards a second online auction that will be launched as soon as the current one ends. 


Our next exciting fundraiser is scheduled for October 10th. A Haircut Fundraiser is that day, and we'll get 100 % proceeds. How awesome is that? We're working on flyers to pass around to advertise more locally, but also will be posting on Facebook.


We've also been given the opportunity to fund raise through a wonderful pizzeria! More details coming very soon!


I'm not a salesperson. But, I'm passionate about this journey we are on and trusting God to lead us. Adoption is expensive. The average adoption is $25,000 to $45,000. Since our Father in heaven is the very one who created adoption, we believe He will provide. Faith. And walking through every open door. 

Emotion

I have SO much on the inside that I want to be able to express. Have you ever been extremely passionate about something but have difficulty finding the right words, or maybe those words seem so inadequate compared to how you feel on the inside? 


Learning how much God loves me. 
Trying to comprehend what Jesus went through on the Cross.
The love I feel for my husband.
These beautiful babies I've been blessed with.
My mom & dad. 


I can give you descriptive words to describe some of how I feel about everything I just listed. You could actually see some of my emotions if we talked face to face. But, I don't really feel I'm able to use words that could come close to expressing my emotions. 



God has placed something else in my heart that has been added to the above category. A deep passion for something that I just want to tell everyone about. I get extremely emotional when I talk about it. When I realize He is the very creator of it and that it is His heart. I am choosing to be obedient to what He has placed on my heart, no matter the cost. 


Adoption.

Oh, Birthday!

My August birthday just came and went.


Thank goodness I had one.


Thank goodness it is over.


I like to give more than receive.


I'm happy the spotlight is shining elsewhere.

Oh, August

August has brought on a plethora of emotions.

I'll share just a few tidbits of what is swirling around in my head.

My baby boy starts Kindergarten. Kindergarten!!!

My baby girl starts 6th grade. Middle School!!!

My sweet sixteen daughter is beginning her Senior year of high school. Senior year!!!

My oldest starts her third year of college. Didn't she just graduate?!!

I'm having another birthday. Didn't I just have one?!!

Summer is almost over. Didn't it just begin?!!  

Grab your swimsuits and sunscreen, kids!  

We're off to the beach to make the most of the last days of summer!!!  
 

Oh, the Memories!

In our first year of dating, my dear husband took me for an evening walk on the Oceanside pier and proceeded to sing this song to me. Now, I was already "sold" on his charm and adorableness. But, at this very moment in time, he had me hook, line and sinker. Thanks, babe. Always & Forever.

                                                                        Photo Credit

Niche or Not?

When I decided to start a blog, I did my fair share of Google searches research. One common consensus was choosing a particular subject, such as photography or cooking, etc., in order to capture a certain audience. Now, I really did consider this, for a very long time. I thought about honing in on my frugal skills. Have you seen how many great frugal, money saving, penny pinching blogs there are? Yikes! I would feel like a needle in a haystack. I love baking. I considered sharing my recipes. Until I looked at some of the absolutely beautiful photos on some fancy blogs. Umm, no. I'm more about flavor, not presentation. Probably would have to stamp FAIL on that choice.
So, where does this leave me? Starting a blog without a particular niche. Starting a blog just being me. Writing about the many different things I enjoy. I'm unique. Weird, so my kids often remind me. I'm okay with that. I'm an original, not a copy. And I hope my blog will reflect that. 




Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You. Dr. Seuss








 

Attitude of Gratitude

I am trying.
On a daily basis.
To have an attitude of gratitude.

It isn't always an easy endeavor. Some days I feel like if I pull the string hanging on my hem, that everything will unravel. 
Hanging by a thread. Yep. I so have days like that.

I'm reflecting more on all the blessings that surround me. Trying to take more time to find joy in the midst of trials. So, when something really negative presents itself, I will find the good in it. I will! 

Won't you join me today? What simple joys are you grateful for?

1Thessalonians 5:18

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

When I Grow Up...

When I was in elementary school, I chose my future career. I knew I wanted to be a cosmetologist and that is exactly what I did. I worked in salons for about five years, then went into retail management within the beauty industry. That lasted about 5 years also, until the birth of my first daughter.


My priorities changed drastically. Although it was a major financial sacrifice, I left my career to be a stay at home mom. I absolutely love being at home with my children. I find so much happiness caring for my family. Over the years, I've found ways to bring in extra money. I've had weekend cleaning jobs, worked retail, home daycare, secret shopper, etc. Many things here & there to help pay some bills. 


But...for years I struggled with thoughts of what should I do with my life? What career should I look into? Should I go back to school? I didn't want to, but we're taught go to school, get an education, two-income families do better. Which is perfectly fine, if that's what works for your family. I heard other's opinions. "She needs to get a job." "Her kids aren't better than everybody else's kids, they can go to daycare." And so on.


Who I wasn't listening clearly to was God. He is the very one who made me. He is the very one who gave me this strong, passionate desire to love, care for and nurture my children.Yes, God. I am a slow study. It took me a few years to open my ears.  Am I disappointed to not be climbing the corporate ladder or making a six figure income? No. If you would've asked me that ten years ago, my answer may have been different. But, now I'm perfectly content with being just a stay at home mom! 

Hebrews 13:5

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU.

I Would Gather Children

Some would gather money
Along the path of life;
Some would gather roses,
And rest from worldly strife.

But I would gather children
From among the thorns of sin;
I would seek a golden curl,
And a freckled, toothless grin.

For money cannot enter
In that land of endless day;
And roses that are gathered
Soon will wilt along the way.

But, oh, the laughing children,
As I cross the sunset sea,
And the gates swing wide to heaven -
I can take them in with me.

-Author Unknown

Bloggin' It!

I've finally pushed publish for my blog. Seriously, I've been talking about starting a blog for three years. That is just. too. long.


A blog is such a great way to journal, keep family & friends across the miles updated and connect with other bloggers. Merriam-Webster even added it. For real.


See Definition of Blog. Told you.


So with a little LOT of help from my talented, patient daughter Jaiden,
Oh, Mixed Nuts! begins! Won't you please join me?