Easter

This post is late, I know:(  Trying to get caught up on all the stuff that I had let build up during the fundraiser, like the mountain of laundry!!  Unfortunately God did not move that mountain for me as well:)  It's not so much doing the laundry as it is folding it.  I LOATHE FOLDING LAUNDRY!!!  Then putting it away, it takes hours.  And there's never the satisfaction of knowing it's done for the month, or week for that matter.  It's like the laundry is reproducing, sorry that was a weird little tangent.  I'll move on to the real reason for this post, Easter weekend.  We started it off by making a resurrection garden, idea found here and here.  My description won't be quite as poetic as theirs.  Making it with the kids was a wonderful visual for them and stirred up a lot of questions.  Ash said this was his favorite new tradition, and I agree:)

Jesus laid in the tomb.

Guards are placed at the entrance of the tomb.

Early Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.  Suddenly there was a great earthquake!  For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it.  His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.  The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.  Then the angel spoke to the women.  "Don't be afraid!" he said  "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He isn't here!  He is risen from the dead, just as He said would happen.  Come see where His body was lying.  And now, go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and He is going ahead of you to Galilee.  You will see Him there.  Remember what I have told you."

On Saturday we did an egg hunt with our neighbor across the street, the kids had a blast!  Prestin was to cool  for a basket:(

So that was our weekend:)  I will finish this post with my new apron that a lovely friend of mine just got me.  I love it and have been prancing around in it all day.  I was making a weird face, hence the headless pic:)

God Moved the Mountain!!

I am crying as I write this because I am just so overwhelmed at all the love we were shown throughout this fundraiser.  You ALL have blessed us more than you will ever know.  Through the Chip In you helped us raise $13,156.01, combined with the money donated to our Family Sponsor Page(Sergey's blog button that you added to your blogs and Facebook) and money that was already in Sergey's account from Reece's Rainbow's Christmas Angel program, we now have a grand total of $17,017.00!!! Seriously people that is AMAZING!!!  We are well on our way to bringing Sergey home, thank you from the bottom of our hearts, I wish I had more than a thank you to give you.  I feel like I know so many of you from reading your blogs and conversing through emails, you ALL have been an encouragement to me.  Thank you for your prayers as well, they mean the world to us!  I have tried to thank each and everyone of you personally, but got a little behind, so I will be working on those this week:)

So now on to the prizes!!!


The winner of the iPad2 is....


Jennifer who said...
As a Mom of 2 adopted boys, my heart goes out to you.  I hope my 10.00 along with lots of other donations will help get him here soon!

The winner of the Silhouette is...


Tami 


The winners for the two handmade flower pins by Charlaanne are...


Sophie - pink flower pin
 &
Deborah - mint flower pin


The winner for a Scentsy choice of warmer or $30.00 in product goes to...


Katie B. who said...
Donated again-thanks for the chance to be apart of this! (Thanks to Meg for the tip!) :)

The winner of the Fiona Lattice Shelf from Willow House is...


Jillian who said...
I just donated and I'm praying our dear Lord will bless this adoption.  Thank you for opening your heart and home.

The winner of the Matryoshka Doll pillow from PETUNIAS is...


Megan H. 


The winners of the rainbow hoodie and 'Whatever' print from Meg over at Whatever are...


Julie@Joy's Hope- rainbow hoodie


Sara- print

The winners of the premade blog designs by Two Happy Mamas blog design studio are...


Kari 
&
Kathleen Taylor


The winner of the "Trust" print from Delightful Distractions is...


Melissa Hoop


The winner of the $100.00 Gift Certificate to Target is...


Annalea


The winner of the $50.00 Starbucks Gift Certificate is...


mysteryhistorymom


The winner of the "Love you to the moon print"  by Dazeychic is...


Leal


The winner of the $20.00 Gift certificate to Happy Hooks Crochet is...


Scott and Mo


The winner of the necklace by Linkel Designs is...


Rebecca S. who said...
And donation #3!

The winners of the prints by Jones Design Company are...


Jeremiah and Briana-'You're here to be a light' Lamp print


Heidi-'I can not do it all' print


lisabrandow- 'Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord' tree print

The winner of the $25.00 Gift Certificate to mary had a little party is...

Nikki who said...

#2

on April 17, 2011 @ 6:20 AM

The winner of the 'Start every morning with God' print by Chrissie Grace is...


Kristina Proffitt


The winner of the tea cozy by Knit Storm is...


Colleen

The winner of the $25.00 shop credit to a Little bit funky is...


Anonymous who said...
Donated!  Hugs and kisses to Sergey #3

on April 15,2011 @ 11:49 AM

The winner of the Greenridge Organics Deluxe Facial Care Kit is...


Robin@thesweetestpear


The winner of their custom size and color 'Dream Big' onesie from Cassidy for Soren Lorensen Design is...


Stephanie who said...
I just donated to bring that sweet boy home!

on April 25, 2011 @ 6:47 AM

The winner of the $20.00 Gift Certificate to The Adorned Abode is...


The DeVisser Family


The winner for SophistiCATEd Posies where you will get to choose one hair accessory or your favorite piece of jewelry is...


Su


The winner of the Rainbow flag bunting from Daisys and dots is...


Lisa Johnson 


The winners for the Erin Leigh prizes are...


Whitney - 'somewhere over the rainbow' print


Erica Lea - set of sweet birdy art, your choice of color


Misty Schluchter - $50.00 credit to Erin's shop


The winner of the Energy bundle is...


Amy Swanson


The winner of the Legacy of Clean bundle is...


Lee K.


The winner of the Kaleidoscope Gift Certificate is...


Laura


The winner of the 6 oz. tin of Watkins cinnamon is...


Shannon Morrison


The winner of the Life Made Lovely blog header, navigation bar and blog button set is...


Jessica H.  (jah019@shsu.edu)


The winner of the Nescafe Piccolo Coffee Machine is...


Katie


The winners of the Matryoshka necklaces from Too Silly Sisters are...


Brianna - Little Miss Kitty Cat
&
Rachel - Little Miss Sweets
who said:
I donated.  I can't wait for that precious little boy to be part of your family.  God bless!!

Congratulations to all the winners!!!  Please email me with your contact info:)

Last Call!

Just a reminder that today is the last day to donate to our Dream Big fundraiser!!

It will close tonight at midnight, and winners will be announced tomorrow morning!  I'm so excited for all of you:)  So keep spreading the word and I'll see you all tomorrow!

An answered prayer

Remember this urgent post and how I asked you to pray like crazy for him?  If you'd like to read the beginning of the story you can go here to catch up.  But I'll go ahead and give you the short version.


This is Vanya:)

He had a dream, a dream of being adopted.  Everyday he would ask his caretaker if a family was coming for him and everyday he was told no:(  Could you imagine?  At only eight years old, what disappointment he had to go through  on a daily basis, ugh and such a heavy burden for an eight year old to carry. My heart couldn't bare it.   But there's also something else, this little boy is HIV+ and being an older child on top of that, he had a lot of strikes against him. But our God is good, isn't He:)   Just two weeks ago he was on a list to be transferred to a horrible institution for older children and adults, where once transferred he would never be able to be adopted, EVER!!

In steps Adeye dun dun dun!  Prepared with the full armor of God ready to do battle for the least of these.  She held a fundraiser to raise $15,000.00 to help a family come forward for him and ease the financial stress.  Praying with all her might that a family would come.  She took a risk, she was obedient and she looked at this fierce giant standing before her and asked us to help and pray.  Over 100 items were given to help with this fundraiser and a little over $15,000.00 was raised to completely cover the cost of all his adoption fees. Things were looking great, God was answering our prayers financially, but then it seemed like it all came crashing down when the need for a family was needed in only a few days.  Vanya would soon be transferred.  And it couldn't just be as easy as a family saying that they wanted to adopt him, they had to be home study ready for his country and open to adopting a child who was HIV+. Seems like a lot to ask for...

But not with our God:)

I am happy to say God has answered our prayers for sweet Vanya.  HE HAS A FAMILY!!!!  I giggled and cried all at the same time when I saw this post.  Our God is still a God of miracles.  This all happened in a matter of two weeks, TWO WEEKS people!!!  Two weeks ago this boy was destined for the institution, his dream was about to be crushed.  But oh how the Lord loves the orphans and how He delights in showing His magnificence in His perfect timing.  How exciting that day must have been for him when he asked his caretaker if a family was coming for him, fully expecting to hear another no.  Can you imagine the double take this kid must have done when she said yes, oh it makes me so happy to think about it:)  I am a happy girl tonight and breathing a sigh of relief for sweet Vanya, he will be with his family soon.  But sadly there are still more just like Vanya who are still waiting.

 There's been progress made in educating people about how to care for children who are HIV+.   Project Hopeful has done a great job of answering FAQ and clearing up a lot of myths that tend to hold people back from adopting these children who need a home so badly.   This video is adorable by the way, love the Joe dirt wig:)

He's Alive!!!

(source found here)

Joy during trials

Wow, I got my first negative comment today, EVER!  An anonymous commenter posted these words on this post regarding our fundraiser.

The little one needs to be with a family that have some money in the bank!!!
how are you going to raise him if you don't have money???

So just for clarification, I want everyone to know that I am writing this with sincerity and without a sarcastic tone, because sometimes our words are not always properly conveyed through writing.   I have never ever said that we don't have the money to raise this child.  Quite the contrary,  God has provided through my  husband a very comfortable living for our family of eight soon to be nine. And no adoption agency in their right mind would even allow a family to come forward and adopt a child without first meeting certain criteria, including finances.  This fundraiser is to raise the money to help offset some of the enormous fees that are required.  I don't know about you but I don't know anyone who has $25,000.00 just laying around in a bank.  We know we have been called to adopt Sergey and we are trusting in the Lord's provision and at last count of $11,000.00, He's providing very well:)  And I think the 506 commenter's would also agree.  We went into this knowing that their would be trials and those that would disagree with what we are doing but you know what this negative comment actually confirms in my heart that we are doing exactly what the Lord would have us do.

 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed.  1 Peter 4: 12 & 13

So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.  1 Peter 4:19
Satan you intended this to bring me down but you will not win!  My spirits are lifted and I am moving forward fiercer than ever!!
And to the Anonymous commenter, I am choosing to believe that your intentions were only out of concern for our child's welfare and I hope that I have put your concerns at ease.  Please know for future reference that I am happy to answer any questions as long as it is in a loving manner.

A BIG reminder!

Just a reminder there's only a few more days left of our Dream Big fundraiser!!

So let's go out with a bang!  If anyone who has already donated is willing to re post our fundraiser on their blogs, Facebook or Twitter to get the word out one last time you may add an extra comment for each one on the original fundraiser post!  Thank you so much to ALL of you that have helped us already, you have ALL been such wonderful blessings to us and we appreciate EVERYTHING you have done to help us bring our little boy home!  I know he will appreciate it to:)  God bless!

One Happy Mama is doing a sweet little giveaway over on her blog for a custom  Sarah + Abraham print!  Just look at the sweetness they sell in their shop:)

They also have boy products as well:)  So go on over and check it out it's free to enter!  Have a wonderful day friends!!

What's He calling you to do?

I read this post yesterday from one of my favorite blogs, No Greater Joy Mom.  Adeye is the one who usually writes but this post is from her husband Anthony, and it is so awesome when men take a stand and speak up for 'the least of these'.  His words tell of the very sad and real truth that these children face on a daily basis.  Christians what are we going to do about this?  Let's get a fire started underneath us and ask God what He wants us to do!  Not everyone is called to adopt, but as Christians we are ALL called to help (James 1:27).  This life we are living is not about us, it is about service to others and denying ourselves and glorifying God in everything we do.  We are here to do the Lord's work whatever that may be, it's different for everyone.  If you are not being called to adopt, then GIVE! And I'm not just speaking about our fundraiser, there are so many families in the process of adoption and so very many children that need your help as well, actually 147 million and counting!  This shouldn't be!!! Give of your time, finances, and PRAYER!!!  We are fighting a battle people!!!!  "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual  forces of evil in heavenly realms."  Ephesians 6:12.  This is VERY REAL and we as Christians are turning a blind eye to this growing problem.  And when I say WE I am speaking to myself as well.  It wasn't until December that this fire started in my heart.  I was the one who turned the channel when they would advertise of the needy children in other countries.  I was the one who scrolled past blog buttons asking for prayer for a child in need of a surgery or struggling for their very lives. I was the one who wouldn't watch the news because I didn't want to be effected by all the sadness that's out there.  BUT NO MORE!!!  My heart has been changed and for the better and I have found JOY amidst all the pain.  For those of you women who are feeling called to adopt DO NOT stop praying for your husbands. God will get a hold of their hearts as well, I've heard many stories of how God has worked in their husbands lives, even my own hubby:)  Over at "And Carter makes three" Jake, a new daddy to be, talks about how God worked in his heart.  After saying "no" to his wife's request to adopt he tells how he was moved after seeing a picture of a little boy and knowing without a doubt that he was his son!  Also ladies be mindful of what he says at the end...

I know there are folks out there that may have a resistant husband or family to the idea of adoption or even special needs adoption, but a bit of advice.....pray.  One of the most encouraging things to me was the fact that Ashley prayed and prayed, but never once pushed the issue with me.  She valued my thoughts but knew that if her desires were of God’s design, then I would come around at some point.  She trusted, trusted that God would reveal himself to me a very real way.  He did, and I am grateful.


So I'm gonna step off my soap box now, but I encourage you to really think and pray about what your role is regarding the orphan crisis.  Let God lead you in this, taking that first step is always the scariest but I promise you will never regret it:)

My hope is in you Lord!

Wow!  The Lord is really speaking to my heart today through His word and His people.  A lovely reader encouraged me to read these verses today and they were exactly what I needed to hear, thank you Aly.

She has also made this beautiful print as a reminder, go visit Aly over at the mommie diaries to print your own copy:)

We are worried about time, but He is concerned with timing.

Oh my goodness how this post spoke to my heart this morning!  Here's a little blip of what Amanda shared...

Our Jesus loves us SO much! His waiting is truly His love for us! How hard this is to believe, but how awesome it is to share in bringing Him glory through our testimonies that are birthed through these hard waiting times. Be comforted knowing that God does love you and SO empathizes with your longings. He'll come through...hold on...

Please go and read the rest of this post, I know it will be a blessing to you as well:)

The title of this post were words of encouragement sent to me via a text from my husband a few weeks ago that I have been holding onto throughout this adoption process.  Love that man!

I've been tagged!

I know this is probably nothing new to many of you but this is the first time in four years of blogging that I have ever been tagged! My sweet friends Angela and Alyssa have asked me to share my favorite things.  But on top of that I have also received an award from a very dear friend, thank you Katrina!

So here it goes...

My Favorite Things~

Food~ Mexican!!!!!  Or a cheeseburger and fries with a Dr. Pepper, that is the meal I've had after I've delivered every baby:)
Color~  Red, ooh and add a hint of aqua or turquoise and I'm one happy girl:)
Animal~  I'm probably going to upset some people but I have found over the years that I am just not an animal lover.  We do have a cat and a dog, which drive me CRAZY!!!  I dislike pet hair very much as well as barking and wet dog smell, bleh!!  Sorry, I'm still a very nice person!!:)
Dessert~  Paradise pie at Chili's, why are there no Chili's in WA?  Or that don't take an hour and a half to drive to anyways:(
Artist~  U2, Pearl Jam, Muse... there are so many memories wrapped up in some of  those songs.  There are actually too many to list.  I'm pretty complex and so is my taste in music, it's pretty much whatever mood I'm in as well as the season of year.  I know weird huh!
Pair of shoes~  I'm an AZ girl so flip flops will probably always be my favorite, but they aren't always the smartest shoe of choice here in WA:)
Outfit~  Good pair of jeans, a feminine top with a cardigan and cute flats!
Skinny jeans~ What are those?:)
Brand~  I love to shop at Target, Old Navy and the Gap.
Perfume~  I don't usually wear perfume because I haven't found one that I like or can afford:)  I'm usually sporting Downy fabric softener, lol!  I'd love to hear some of your favorites.
Accessory~  A pair of faux diamond earrings and my wedding ring are usually what I wear.
City~  Phoenix
Hobbies~  Other than blogging I haven't really done too much hobbying(I'm making that a word) lately.  But I like to go to vintage/antique stores when I can.
Beauty Products~ My straightener for straight days and Garnier Fructise Curl shaping spray gel for the curly days.
Holiday~  Christmas
Snack~  I like to scoop cottage cheese with lays potato chips, yum!
Movie~  The Matrix Trilogy, Transformers 1... I really like action and scary movies!  Although, my taste in movies is just as complex as my taste in Music.  One day I can watch the movie 300 and the next, Mary Poppins.  It's a gift really:)
Song~  I think it's safer if I go with a hymn on this one:), "It is well with my soul"
Guilty Pleasure~  Dr. Pepper with crushed ice, just hook me up to an I.V!  Ummm, pretty much any candy that has milk chocolate and peanut butter, BEST COMBINATION EVER!!!!  A good decorating magazine, I love to get inspired from the pics.

I am going to tag Amy, Courtney, Kimberlee, Meg, Amy J. and Kristina because I would like to know a little more about them!

And here is the award from my friend Katrina. Thank you for thinking of me, I'm blushing:)

Rules of this Award:

1.  Thank and link back to the person giving me this award.

2.  Share seven things about me.

3.  Pass this award on to other bloggers I have recently discovered and think are fantastic!

4.  Contact these bloggers to tell them I have awarded them.

Seven things you may or may not know about me~

1.  I was a massage therapist for four years.

2.  When I was in High School I wanted to go to school to be a special effects makeup artist, my how things have changed...for the better:)

3.  I have never seen a movie in 3D:(

4.  I love monsoon season in AZ.

5.  I still get butterflies in my stomach when Ash walks into a room:)

6.  I drive a 12 passenger van, that I affectionately call "The Beast".

7.  My biggest pet peeve is when someone doesn't clear the timer on the microwave, grrr!  I will get up and clear it when I'm eating because it bothers me that much.  Yet I can walk past 5 loads of laundry needing to be folded for days and not bat an eye.  I really have my priorities in order, don't I?

Okay so I am going to give this award to Madison over at From My Heart To Yours, she is 13 years old and her parents have recently adopted her little brother from Eastern Europe who also shares Sergey's extra chromosome.  And she is also one of the biggest advocates for Reece's Rainbow's children I've ever met!

And also Kristina over at One Happy Mama, because my blog is now cuter than ever because of her:)

And if you've read this far, thank you:)

Urgent!!!!

I'd like to share this story with everyone, let's storm the gates of Heaven for this little boy.  He has a BIG dream as well:)  Please Read!!!!

This is getting pretty BIG!!!

God is so good!!!  And you ALL have been so wonderful, we still have prizes coming in.  So many that I have to start another post:)  Keep em' coming!

Amber over at Timeless Treasures is donating 10% of every sale to our fundraiser if you leave a message at checkout saying that you are helping support Sergey and our family.  This however will not get you an entry into our fundraiser, you must still donate the minimum $10.00.  Thank you Amber for supporting our family:)

Kate over at Knit Storm has donated this very sweet tea cozy!  I LOVE IT!!!

Crystal over at a little bit funky is donating  $25.00 in shop credit to her UBER CUTE Etsy shop!!

Here are some of my favorites from her shop:)

Colleen from Greenridge Organics is donating a Deluxe Facial Care Kit worth $130.00, WOWZA!!  Get ready to pamper yourself:)

Cassidy has lovingly purchased an adorable onesie from Soren Lorensen Design . One lucky winner will get to pick their choice of color and size, ADORABLE!!!!  I love the shop's name and of course the logo on the onesie, perfect! 

Kelly over at The Adorned Abode is donating a $20.00 Gift Certificate to her shop!

Here's some of the sweet things she has in her shop:)

Gretchen from SophistiCATEd Posies is donating to one lovely winner their choice of any hair accessory or jewelry from her shop!  She has some very lovely items, here are just a few of my faves,  but don't take my word for it go check out her lovely shop for yourself:)

Trish over at Daisys and dots is donating the HAPPIEST bunting EVER!!!  Look at those CLOUDS:)

Erin is offering 3 donations!!!  Yay!!! 3 people will be winning Erin's lovely art, SO FUN!!!

1.  The first prize is this lovely print and also my favorite:)

2.  The second, is a set of these sweet birdy prints.  The winner can choose pink, blue or colored.

3.  And last but not least Erin is offering a $50.00 Gift Certificate to her shop, PHEW!!  That's awesome:)

Stephen and Erin are donating 3 separate items from their business to 3 lucky winners:)  Erin also happens to be my little sister:)

1.  The first prize is an Energy bundle, valued at over $90.00!!!

2.  This is a huge cleaning bundle!  Legacy of clean products are made with natural ingredients and won't irritate your skin or the planet!  This bundle is valued at $65.00, one lucky winner will get ALL of this!!!

3.  And lastly a Kaleidoscope Gift Certificate valued at $30.00.  Comes with a full-colored album showing the gifts in this collection.

 Monika is donating a 6 oz. tin of Watkins cinnamon, mmm don't cinnamon rolls sound good right now:)

Heather over at a Life Made Lovely is donating a blog header, navigation bar and blog button set valued at $78.00!!!  Heather has a very lovely blog and is one of my favorite blog designers, I'm so excited to add her to our fundraiser!  Here are a few examples of her designs:)  Gorgeous!!

Megan is giving to one lucky winner a Nescafe Dolce Gusto by Krups Piccolo Coffee Machine in the winner's choice of color as well as five boxes of coffee, winner's choice:)  Wow thanks Megan!!

Lori from Too Silly Sisters is donating two of the sweetest little necklaces I've ever seen!! 

*Please kindly go to the original "Dreaming Big" post to leave comments to enter our fundraiser.  Thank you:)