One Less April

What would the world look like if each of us made it our responsibility to see one less orphan without an education...one less orphan without a growling hunger... or one less orphan without a bleak future of poverty?

In the next 45 days, our goal is to find a sponsor for every single child who has yet to be sponsored at our school in Lifesong Ethiopia. (Gulp! That's a tall order! See below how YOU can help.) We are asking for an investment of just $19/month that will result in a future leader for the renewal of Africa from the inside out.

Invest in a life of a child. Invest in self-sufficiency. Invest in bringing hope to one more orphan.

Together we can get EVERY child sponsored! Will you help us?

How can YOU help each child find a sponsor:

• PRAY: Join us in praying for the 587 children who are unsponsored in Ethiopia. Pray for the thousands that will be given the opportunity to sponsor--that hearts would be open to helping a child in need. Pray that God will raise advocates to help spread the word!
• ADVOCATE: Maybe sponsoring a child isn't an option for you at this time but you have a platform and a voice to let the need be known! Follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram and share the One Less campaign with your friends & followers.
• SPONSOR: Commit to sponsor a students at Lifesong Ethiopia School long-term for $19/month to help ensure that they get the incredible education, spiritual mentoring and food that they need to break the cycle of poverty. To see the children yet to be sponsored, please visit: www.zatproject.com/oneless

To learn more about the Ziway + Adami Tulu Project and details of sponsorship visit www.zatproject.com.

Wonderfully Made Necklace

And we have another adoption fundraiser!! :)) 

Jubilee Jewels designed this necklace as an adoption fundraiser for us. I LOVE it!! It has the perfect words on it to describe our sweet M...."Wonderfully Made, "Treasured", "Miracle". 

Click on the link below for more information or to order:

http://jubileesjewels.com/treasured-wonderfully-made

Oil Painting of Quito

Our dear friends and missionaries in Ecuador, The Pineiros Family, donated this amazing painting for us to auction to raise money for our adoption expenses. The painting is a 25.5" X 40" original oil on canvas. It is a painting of Historic Downtown Quito. You can see the beautiful mountains and snowcapped volcano in the background. The pictures do not do this painting justice. It really is beautiful and full of detail. 

Here is the sweet story of the painting from Denise: "It's oil and canvas from a pretty well known artist in Quito. Every Sunday, there's a park where the artists take their work, and display it. The park is called El Ejido. When we went to find it, we had a budget of what we could spend on the painting. We fell in love with this one, but it was slightly out of our price range. When the man displaying the paintings heard M's story, he pulled out the amount of the difference from his own pocket and added it to our cash. He said "this is for love, this is for M."

The bidding will begin at $100.00. The auction will run from now until April 22, 2013 at 9:00 pm. To bid on the painting, you can comment on this blog post. If you have trouble commenting, you can email me privately. If the winning bidder needs the painting shipped, the bidder will pay the shipping charges. 

Added Bonus: We were recently awarded a matching grant from Brittany's Hope. The winning bidder can make the donation check for the winning bid to Brittany's Hope and it will be Tax Deductible!!!!

Thank you so much for helping us bring of son home!! 

Custom Necklace

This custom necklace was donated to our adoption auction by Heart & Sole Boutique in Smyrna. The necklace is a one one a kind by local artist Gene Soul. The retail value of the necklace is $75.00.

To visit Heart & Sole on facebook, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/HeartSole

The auction will begin at $20.00. To bid, comment on this blog post. The winner will be the highest bidder at the end of the auction. The auction will end Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 11:00 am. If you need the necklace shipped, actual shipping charges will be added to the winning bid. 

Thermal Tote

This auction is for a Thirty One Thermal Tote in Organic Poppy. This was donated by Angi Morrison. For more information Angi's Thirty One business visit:  www.mythirtyone.com/angimorrison

To bid on this auction please comment on this blog post. Bidding will start at $5.00 and the auction will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. If the item needs to be shipped, the winning bidder will pay actual shipping charges.

All In One Organizer

This auction is for a Thirty One all in one organizer in plum stripe. This was donated by Angi Morrison. For more information Angi's Thirty One business visit:  www.mythirtyone.com/angimorrison

To bid on this auction please comment on this blog post. Bidding will start at $5.00 and the auction will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. If the item needs to be shipped, the winning bidder will pay actual shipping charges.

Chris Nicholson Salon

Chris Nicholson from Chris Nicholson Salon and Spa has donated a $50.00 gift card that can be used towards a hair with him. He cuts my hubby's and our kiddo's hair. We LOVE him!! For more information about the salon go to:

http://www.chrisnicholsonsalon.com/

Bidding for the gift card will start at $15.00. To bid just comment on THIS blog post. The highest bidder at the end of the auction will win the gift card. The auction will end Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 11:00 am.

Pampered Chef Small Ridged Stoneware Baker

Our friend Sydney Blackwell has a Pampered Chef business. She has donated two items for our adoption auction. The second item is this Pampered Chef Small Ridged Stoneware Baker. Retail Value is $30.00

To bid on the stoneware, just comment on this blog post with your name and the amount of your bid. The highest bidder at the end of the auction wins. The auction will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. Bidding starts at $10.00. If this item needs to be shipped, the actual shipping charges will be added to the bid of the winning bidder.

Pampered Chef Food Chopper

Our friend Sydney Blackwell has a Pampered Chef business. She has donated two items for our adoption auction. The first is this Pampered Chef Food Chopper. Retail Value is $32.00

To bid on the chopper, just comment on this blog post with your name and the amount of your bid. The highest bidder at the end of the auction wins. The auction will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. Bidding starts at $10.00. If this item needs to be shipped, the actual shipping charges will be added to the bid of the winning bidder.

Thirty One Black Parisian Pop Set

My friend Debbie Miller has generously donated this beautiful new set from Thirty One for our auction. Wouldn't this make a great Mother's Day Gift?

Here is a description of each piece:

Organizing Shoulder Bag in Black Parisian Pop. 1 exterior back flat pocket, 2 exterior front pockets (1 w/ zipper closure), 1 interior zipper pocket and 2 interior flat pockets; adjustable shoulder strap; zipper closure. Approx. 11.5"H x 9.25" W x 1.25"D Retail Value $45.

Cindy Tote in Black Parisian Pop. 2 exterior side pockets; interior zipper pocket and 3 flat pockets; zipper closure; interior d-ring and lobster claw for shoulder strap attachment. Approx 14"H x 15"W x 5"D. Large enough to hold a laptop, wallet, lunch bag and more. Retail Value $70.00.

Soft Wallet in Black Parisian Pop. Exterior zipper pocket; 11 card slots; clear PVC ID slot; 4 bill slots; zip-around closure. Approx. 4.25"H x 7"W. Retail Value $22.00.

Total Retail Value is $127.00

To Visit Debbie's Thirty One website go to: Www.MyThirtyOne.com/debmiller

To bid on this auction, you need to comment on THIS blog entry with your name and the amount of your bid. The highest bidder at the end of the auction wins the set. The auction will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. Bidding starts at $35.00. If this item needs to be shipped, the winner will add the actual shipping charges to the winning bid. Happy Bidding! :))

ESV Study Bible

Our good friends and pastor, Brent and Sarah Stephens have donated a new leather EVS Study Bible that can be personalized with the winning bidders name. The retail value of this bible is around $90.00. This is an AWESOME bible!!! 

To bid, comment on this blog post with your name and the amount of your bid. The winner is the highest bidder at the end of the auction. If this item needs to be shipped, we will add the actual shipping charges to the bid amount. The auction will end Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 11:00 am. The bidding begins at $25.00.

Must Love Tiaras Custom Pendant

Must Love Tiaras generously donated this custom hand stamped family tree pendant. The necklace will be designed with the specifics of the winning bidder. You would provide the marriage date, children's name and birth stone colors for the charms. This would be a make a great Mother's Day gift!!! 

To bid on the pendant, just comment on this blog post with your name and the amount of your bid. The highest bidder at the end of the auction wins. The auction will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. Bidding starts at $10.00.

Catured.Photography

My sweet friend Karen Rainwater has generously donated a $100.00 gift card towards a sitting fee for her photography business captured.photography. To view her work go to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/capturedphotography/291588400191?group_id=0

Karen has taken our family photos over the years (she took the pic at the top of our blog) :)) I LOVE her work. She is so talented! Here are a few of her pictures and if you scroll through our blog you will see more: 

Bidding for this auction will start at $30.00. All you have to do is comment on THIS blog entry with your name and the amount you are bidding. The highest bidder at the end of the auction wins. The auction will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. 

Canvas #2

Our friends at SOHO Office Governor's Towne Square have donated 2 medium canvases ( 16" X 20"). The canvas can be printed of a photo that the winner of the auction submits to SOHO. Each canvas is valued at $65.00. This auction is for 1 canvas. The other canvas will be listed separately. 

Bidding will start at $15.00. To bid on the canvas, just comment on THIS blog entry with your name and the amount that you are bidding. The highest bidder at the end of the auction will win the canvas. The auction will end Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 11:00 am. 

For more information about SOHO visit their website: 

http://acworth.sohooffice.com/

Canvas #1

Our friends at SOHO Office Governor's Towne Square have donated 2 medium canvases ( 16" X 20"). The canvas can be printed of a photo that the winner of the auction submits to SOHO. Each canvas is valued at $65.00. This auction is for 1 canvas. The other canvas will be listed separately. 

Bidding will start at $15.00. To bid on the canvas, just comment on THIS blog entry with your name and the amount that you are bidding. The highest bidder at the end of the auction will win the canvas. The auction will end Thursday, March 14, 2013 at 11:00 am. 

For more information about SOHO visit their website: 

http://acworth.sohooffice.com/

Embroidery by Janet Stover

My good friend Janet Stover has an embroidery business. She has donated a $50.00 gift card for our auction to help us raise money towards our adoption. The gift card can be used for embroidery, appliques, and baby gifts. Below are some samples of Janet's work:

Bidding for this auction will start at $20.00. All you have to do is comment on THIS blog entry with your name and the amount you are bidding. The highest bidder at the end of the auction wins. The auction will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. 

Girls of American History - Homeschool Curriculum

A sweet friend of mine writes homeschool curriculum. She has generously donated an entire set of her curriculum. It has a $45.00 retail value. At the conclusion of the auction, she will email you the curriculum pdf. To find out more information on the curriculum, go to: 

http://www.girlsofamericanhistory.com/

Bidding will start at $15.00. The auction will end on Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am.

To bid on the curriculum, comment on THIS blog post and the highest bidder will win! 

Vera Bradley Bags!

Today for the auction we have a beautiful Vera Bradley bag which was donated by Love Street at Cedarcrest. The pattern is Laura Provencal and I absolutely LOVE it!! The colors and design remind me of an Ecuadorian piece of art. I will have a hard time parting with these!!! There are three bags. The large bag is a three-o-tote. Then there are two small bags. One is a coin purse and the other is a little larger. It would be perfect to hold a cell phone, keys, or makeup. Retail value is $96.00.

This auction will run the auction for a couple of days. It will end Thursday, March 14th at 11:00 am. To bid, you just comment on THIS blog entry with your name and the amount that you are bidding. I am going to post other auctions as well so make sure that you comment on the correct blog post. The winner will be the person with the highest bid. If you are need it shipped, I will add the actual shipping costs after the auction ends. Bidding starts at $35.00. :))

Adoption Fundraisers

We have made great strides in our adoption process. Our homestudy is complete!! Our social worker told us that in her 20 years of writing homestudies, she has never completed one as quickly as ours. We were all determined!! We are working hard to get our little guy home soon. Jason's dad is hoping and praying that we get to see M take his first steps. That would be so awesome! We are now completing our dossier. Hopefully, this part of the process will go just as quick. Also, we are at the part of our adoption process where large amounts of money are needed to make large payments to the adoption agency! We have applied for grants but won't know anything for a couple months so while waiting we are going to try and fundraise. I had an idea to have an online auction and asked for donations. We have received so many awesome items to auction!!! We are so excited and so thankful for the generosity of all who donated items. I was going to list all the auction items on ebay at one time but then I began looking at the fees (they are high) and decided I would try another idea first and see if it works. We decided to add an item a day or every couple of days to our blog and let bidders comment with a bid. The highest bidder at the end of the time allotted will win the item listed. We will see if this works. Hopefully it will and we will not have to pay fees to ebay. :)

Our first item is an until there are NO MORE ORPHANS necklace from The Adopt Shoppe.  Perfect....don't ya think?

The bidding starts at $10.00. The auction will end at 10:00 am, Thursday, March 7th. All you have to do is comment on this blog post with your name and amount that you bid. The highest bidder wins the necklace. 

For more information about The Adopt Shoppe and to see all the other beautiful jewelry that she makes visit: 
www.TheAdoptShoppe.etsy.com
www.facebook.com/ShoppeAdopt
Instagram: @theadoptshoppe & @k8cl8n

Thank you all so much for your support!

With Love,
Jennifer

Last night was our third and final home study visit. Hopefully, our home study will be complete within the week. Yahoo!!!! That is a huge step in the adoption process complete.

The kids had a great evening with our social worker, Joyce. I sat in the office while she sat at the table and "interviewed" each of my kids. I could hear their responses to each of her questions. I enjoyed listening to what my kids had to say. I was so proud of them. They are growing so much, not just physically but in wisdom.  I also loved hearing how excited the kids are to adopt their new brother. He can't get here soon enough! Noah did claim that he would be busy making baby food and changing diapers when "M" gets home. I think I might have to hold him to that! :))

Wonderfully Made

I just want to take a minute and reflect on what a miracle this child is. He came to us missing one eye because the other was removed due to a tumor. He also had a facial cleft which caused him to have a congenital missing right nostril. After being home a short while, doctors found a benign brain tumor that needed to be removed as it was growing and bleeding in his brain. He has been sedated in the OR 21 times for major and minor surgeries, and exams under anesthesia. On top of this, he had significant developmental delays and the surgeries and anesthesia caused even more regression. Delays are common with children who begin life in an orphanage and his were compounded because of his medical issues.  He has endured so much, yet you would not know it to look at him. He takes on each day with a huge smile on his face. He loves life!! He is a miracle!! 

Noah has had an IEP to address his developmental delays since he was 3. He has done so well that the past two years the IEP was for consult only. He had an IEP meeting yesterday and it was determined by the team that he no longer needed an IEP at all!!! He is academically and developmentally on target....another miracle!! 

This life has defied the odds! He is a miracle and he was wonderfully made by a Loving Creator who has a very special plan for his life!

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be."

Psalm 139: 13-16

Love and Sacrifice

I have been so so blessed this week by the generosity of friends and family. So many have taken the time to encourage us as we begin this new journey. Many have sacrificed and allowed us to see God's provision through their acts of kindness. We have received clothes for our kids, baby bedding, a meal, donations to our Adoption fundraiser and more. We also have had a couple of sweet friends approach us about doing fundraisers for us. Which would require so much time and effort on their parts. We are so thankful that they believe in adoption and are willing to sacrifice so much!

I have also seen God work in the hearts of my children who are totally willing to give up so much in their own lives in order to bring their brother home. My sweet Emmy loves dance. She dances 4 days a week at minimum. Dance is a huge part of her life to say the least. I was talking to her about the sacrifices that we may need to make in order to get baby M. here. She told me something that made my heart melt into 1000 pieces. She said, "mom, I love dance and I never want to have to give up dancing but.....if it comes down to it, I would give up dancing to get baby M home." Ohhhhhh I cried when she told me this because I know what a sacrifice this would be for her and one I would not ever want to have her make. But she gets it!!! She has visited orphanages, she has a brother and a sister who lived in an orphanage and she knows the transformation that takes place in the life of a child when they have a family! This is the greatest gift, knowing that I have a daughter who has a heart like His!!! :))

Thank you all so much for praying for us and walking this journey with us!

With Love,
Jennifer

iPad Adoption Fundraiser!!

The Chipin website is currently down. You can make donations to the iPad Mini Adoption Fundraiser at the link below or to us directly and we will add your name to the drawing:

Soon to be a party of 7

We are excited to announce that we have officially started the process of adoption again! We are pursing the adoption of the sweetest little boy that we met this summer on our Ecuador mission trip. Jason and Cameron spent time with him on their trip in December as well and they fell in love. He will be two in March and he is ADORABLE. He has Down Syndrome. God has used two amazing families in our community that have children with downs to really encourage and show us that this very special boy is to be apart of our family. We recently found out that his paper work was ready and he was available for adoption. We have spent weeks praying and asking God to SHOW us if he was our son and God has shown us this clearly.

Over the past few days we have started our home study paperwork and have tried to get a clear picture of adoption costs for Ecuador. It looks like the costs will be somewhere around $30,000. Honestly, we were not at all prepared for this. We will be able to apply for grants once all of our paperwork is submitted but we will have a great amount of expenses to cover prior to this. So we are going to begin fundraising and have been brainstorming many ideas that we will share in the months to come. We decided to start with a bang! We are going to begin with giving away an item that everyone will love…….a new iPad Mini, 16GB, WiFi!! We have created a Chipin account where donations can be made and we will include the link on our blog. For every $20.00 donation made towards our adoption, your name will be entered into the drawing. If you make a $50.00 donation, your name will be entered 4 times! The fundraiser will run from now until January 31, 2013. On February 1, 2013 we will hold a live drawing and announce who gets the iPad Mini. To make a donation, click on the Chipin button below or you can make a direct donation to us.

 Most importantly we ask that as we begin this process that you will keep us all in your prayers. We know that this will be a difficult journey but one that we want to enjoy each step of the way. We need your prayers to sustain us. Also, if you felt led to give in order to help us bring our son home let us know and we will update you with our needs.

With Love,

The Nails Crew

Family Pics

Family Pictures