F.Y.I.

Our Auction For A Princess has moved! Originally it was a Blog auction but we received feedback that it was difficult to view and to place bids. (Thanks for the feedback friends!) We have created a page on Facebook which should make viewing and bidding much easier. You can still click onto the crown to the right of this blog to be redirected, or you can click here Auction For A Princess to be redirected. We apologize for any confusion this may cause but I think you will agree that it is for the better! We have also extended the auction one more week than originally planned since we didn't receive much traffic. We hope you will understand. All rules and disclaimers are the same and you can review them in a post on the Facebook page. If you had already placed a bid on an item prior to this move have no fear, I transferred all bids to the new page. Thanks so much and keep the bids coming! Please share and like the new page too! Much love!

Thursday Is A Special Day....

.....it's the day we got submitted. What does this mean? It means that our dossier (our whole file or compilation of paper work) was submitted. Our final piece of the puzzle arrived in her country on Mon. July 23rd and on Thursday the completed puzzle was submitted. In 4-5 weeks we will receive our approval and will also receive our travel date which happens 2-3 weeks later. We will be in Susan's country in 6-8 weeks. Eeeeeeeeek! Eeeeeeeek! Eeeeeeek! Can you hear the excitement in my voice? We are thrilled, excited, nervous, scared, anxious, worried, you name the emotion, we're feeling it! I can't wait to meet Susan and hold her in my arms! I can't wait to tell her that she is wanted! I can't wait to tell her that she is loved! I can't wait to tell her that there are so many people who have made it possible for her to finally have a family! I have anticipated our first meeting and cannot believe it will happen in 6-8 weeks. We have approx. $17K to raise in 6-8 weeks! "I've gotta have faith!" The other day I was in a bookstore and saw this quote.

Do you think it was what I needed to see to calm my troubled heart? Absolutely! I so needed to see that! I understand that all things that have worth or are worth it take work but gosh is it hard work! This fundraising journey certainly hasn't been easy but I know that it is possible. I know that we will all witness a miracle. Would you like to be a part of that miracle? Step forward, make a change by giving some of your change. Purchase a necklace, make a bid on the auction, place an order through Stampin' Up, purchase a ticket and be a part of our Luau Party, just simply share our journey with your friends and family. It may seem like I am asking a lot. I may even sound like a broken record, but we need your help. And any little bit helps! Your contribution will benefit a little girl who has a mommy and daddy who within weeks will hug and kiss her for the first time. You are helping one of God's children who's spirit is no different than yours or mine, have a forever family!  Please help and make this possible! There are no words that can even express how grateful we are for this experience, this trial of our faith, this opportunity to see so much goodness! Let the goodness continue! Thanks so much!

Paradise!

Hawaii=Paradise!

If you haven't already heard or read, in conjunction with our Luau on August 18th, we are giving away a 7 night stay in Hawaii. So with your purchase of a $25 ticket you will be receive one entry to win the trip. (You can also purchase additional entries to win, $10 = 1 entry.) There are several locations to choose from on Kauai or Kona, the Big Island. So without further ado, here are photos of the resorts. There are 1 or 2 bedroom condos available, accommodating 2-6 people. All made available through Shell Vacations Club. To read more about each resort please visit Shell Vacations Club. If you haven't heard about our Luau Party on August 18th, then please click here for details and purchase a ticket today using the Reece's Rainbow donate button or the ChipIn donate button! $25 per person/$50 per couple, ticket price includes dinner, entertainment, entry to win this fabulous vacation stay and a chance to help save an orphan's life!

Cliffs Club in Kauai

Kauai Coast Resort at the Beach Boy in Kauai

Lawai Beach Resort in Kauai

Holua Resort at Mauna Loa Village in Kona

Kona Coast Resort in Kona

Paniolo Greens in Kona

Yard Sales and Necklaces and Luau, Oh My!

Aloha! We're having FUNdraisers galore! Please join us on our FUNdraiser fest! Still no word on our approval or travel dates but we're getting close which means we have to fundraise like crazy. I warned you that I'd be reminding you of our fundraisers in the next few weeks, making plug after plus after plug, so please bear with me. Fundraising is all we can do right now as we wait and it is much needed. Our 2nd Yard Sale was a success. Not as busy as the first but we still raised some good money. We had many people who helped and dropped off new goods and we really appreciate your support and helping hands! It didn't rain this time and boy was it hot! I got fried! Silly me didn't even think to put sunscreen on until it was too late. All I can say is holy freckles Batman!

Our necklace sales have slowed down so please take a look and purchase one. Not only do you get a beautiful piece of jewelry but you get to wear it with pride knowing that you have helped our baby girl bloom! To see the many designs please take a look at the bottom of this blog. Prices include shipping. Only a week left to get your Stampin' Up orders in so visit stamptothemax and your purchase will benefit Susan too! And please visit our Auction For A Princess and shop til' you drop. We have over 100 items for sale and there are many that don't have any bids. Please take a look and check back frequently as there are new items still being added and bids increasing. It truly is Christmas in July. Get a jump start on your holiday shopping today.

Remember our Save the Date? August 18th? Well it is approaching very quickly and it will be a night to remember. We are hosting a Luau Party on August 18th! It will be complete with a Hawaiian dinner and dancers, music and a chance to win a week's stay in Hawaii! In order to make this a successful night, we need the continued help of our families, friends, community, co-workers. I always think big and this event is no different! We need to sell 500 tickets to make a net profit of $10,000.00. You read that correctly. If we sell 500 tickets we will profit $10K. This amount will get us so close to our lofty goal. Can we do it? YES we can!  So this is how it can work. If Mark and I can commit 50 of our friends to find 10 of their friends or family members, etc. or 5 couples, then we can reach our goal of 500. Here are the details and the invitation for the Luau.

It’s a

Luau!

Saturday August 18^th

7-9 pm

Fundraiser to benefit

 The Lutkin Family

Who is adopting a baby girl with

Down syndrome from Eastern Europe.

$50 per couple or $25 per person (Adults Only)

Each ticket purchase includes a catered Hawaiian dinner,

entertainment and an entry to win a week’s stay in
Hawaii for calendar year 2013.

(Lodging only on the Big Island or Kauai, does not include airfare.)

To purchase tickets for this event please return the bottom portion with your payment.

You may purchase more entries to win the Hawaii giveaway. $10=one entry.

Include extra cost for additional entries. We will be accepting donations that night too.

We appreciate your donation even if you are not able to attend. You will still be entered to win the giveaway (you do not need to be present to win). Your generosity is helping a little girl become an orphan no more and enjoy the blessings of a family. Thank You!

Please follow our journey at www.ledbyhislove.blogspot.com.

RSVP by Aug. 12^th so we can get an accurate count for food. 

Name(s):                                                            

Phone number and email:                                    
# of Adults Attending:
Amount Paid:


Sound fun? Make a donation today of $25 per person or $50 a couple and you can join us for a night to remember. Even if you're not able to attend, your purchase of a $25 ticket will get you an entry to win the Hawaii getaway. We know that we have at least 50 friends who will reach out to their friends and family to help us reach our goal. Would you like to be one of the 50? Please say yes! If so then please let us know. And if you know of anyone else who would like to be a part of this miracle then send them our way too. We need all of the support we can get and lots of effort to make it a success. If you can commit to help us then send me a message with your email address and I can email you the attachment for the invitation above. You can then print the number needed and begin selling them on our behalf to your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc. (Your goal will be to sell 10 individual tickets, 5 couples tickets, or collect $250.) Again, the only way that this Luau will be a success is with the help of everyone. We need your help to reach more people than we can reach alone. As you're selling or promoting this Luau Party please keep in mind and mention that if you or you and your significant other were to go out for a night of fun, including dinner then you would spend at least $25-$50. Why not spend the same amount of money for dinner, entertainment, chances to win a Hawaii getaway and the chance to help an orphan come home? Please help us! We will be forever grateful! Mahalo!

The Worth Of Souls.....

...... is great in the sight of God.

Last night I came across a face book post that inspired me to write this blog post. As you know, international adoptions are expensive. I have given you an idea in a previous post why they cost so much. I know some people wonder why we have to travel so far and pay so much when there is a need right here in our own backyard. I know this because I was one of those people. Early on in our marriage I always thought that if we adopted it would be from another country like Mexico or China. I never thought to adopt domestically until I met 3 beautiful little girls who were in foster care.

One of my customers at the bank was a foster parent. On several occasions she would bring in the children who she was fostering and would introduce them to me. She would tell me a little bit about their situation, I'd hand them a lollipop and they would leave. I was always touched by the good work she was doing but never thought twice about it. Well one day in Sept. of 2009 she came in with these 3 sisters ages 1, 2 and 3. Beautiful, beautiful! They were 3 of 10 children who were taken from their alcoholic mother. They had allowed the 3 to stay together while the others were scattered around the valley. I instantly fell in love and something pricked my heart. I wanted to help and truthfully I wanted to adopt all 3 of them. I came home that night and had told my husband that I wanted to adopt 3 little girls who I had just met. Realistically I knew that I couldn't take 3 on at one time but it opened my heart to the possibility of becoming foster parents. I immediately saw that there was a need in our own backyard and that I didn't need to travel far to help. That same night I got onto the foster care website. I requested information and within weeks we were doing our training to become foster parents, all 32 hours of it. Mark's support was amazing even though he was a bit reluctant.

We had decided that we would do foster care to help and not to adopt. Within a month we got our license and knew it was a waiting game. There was no guarantee that we would get a placement especially since we had picked the age range of 0-2. Our youngest was 1 at the time and I didn't want to displace my children. We were told that since we were not doing foster care to adopt the chances of us getting a baby were slim because those who are looking to adopt usually get called first. I knew in my heart that if it was meant to be then it would be and if not then that was OK too. After all we already had 3 children who kept us busy. Well a year went by and we had never received a call. We had no contact at all from the foster care organization. Then in Nov. of  2010 we got a call to take a baby boy. A few days later we picked him up from the hospital and brought him home. We immediately fell in love and our children embraced and accepted him as their baby brother. After many, many up and downs we received the news that we could adopt him and we did in April of this year. So what started as an effort to help with no intention to adopt, we adopted our 4th. It was meant to be! I truly believe that we were led to do foster care because he was meant to be our son.

We continued to keep our foster license current even though my husband was done having children. He will tell you that at 3 he was done. 4 was a push and now 5 is his max.  Even after 4, I still felt in my heart that there was one more. Then I was introduced to Mia and Reece's Rainbow and I knew that this is how number 5 would come. Susan is the icing on the cake! So after all of this I am finally getting to the reason why I am even writing this post. If there is such a need in our own backyard, then why adopt overseas? Adopting through the foster care system didn't cost us a penny. Adopting Susan from Eastern Europe is going to cost approx. $30K.  So why? We have committed to Susan in Eastern Europe because my heart saw international adoptions, in particular special needs adoptions, in a different light. What put it in perspective for me was this. In the US, foster care is our orphanage system. There are many many children who need families in the US, even Utah but at least they are in homes and not in orphanages. They may not always have committed adopted families but they are well taken care of for the most part and loved. Children in foster care have social workers and people calling on their behalf asking foster families to take them in. If one family says no then another family is called and eventually they will find them a home. In these Eastern Europe and other countries no one is calling on their behalf. They just sit and wait until a family comes forward and is calling on them. They wait until a family commits to them. I am grateful that my husband and I said yes to taking in our son but I know that if we didn't someone else would have.

Susan, our daughter who is waiting may not have been so lucky. If we didn't commit she may have been one of those kids who waits and waits and then gets transferred to an adult mental institution.
I only say this to maybe help others understand why we're doing what we're doing when it costs so much. It is silly that it costs so much and I wish it were different and easier but until it changes we have to keep advocating for these kids so it will be known that they are worth the blood, sweat and tears. It doesn't mean that children in the US are less important because they are very important and there still is a need, but children like Susan don't have anyone advocating for them so we have to. Hope this helps put it in perspective for you as it did for me. All children are precious in His sight. Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God! God Bless!

The Final Piece

The final piece of our paperwork puzzle has been delivered! Our "golden ticket" that I have mentioned before, in it's apostilled glory, is on it's way! It's on a plane right now enjoying peanuts and pretzels and maybe an in flight movie if it's lucky! It should arrive in Susan's country in the next few days and then our dossier will be complete and submitted. The rest of our dossier is already in her country, hopefully getting translated, but as soon as this final piece of the puzzle gets there, we are one step closer to receiving our travel date. We are still waiting to hear if we have been approved to adopt from her country but I am told that no news is good news. That approval can take a few weeks or more and then our dossier approval can take another few weeks or so. Once we get a travel date we will get only a couple weeks notice then we will be on a plane enjoying peanuts, pretzels and hopefully an in flight movie if we're lucky! Still hoping for September! So with that said, once again I need to put in a plug for our fundraisers. You may see a lot of reminders in the next few weeks but please understand it's because we are in need of a lot of help! Can you hear the urgency in my voice? With the rate that this summer has flown by, September will be here in a flash! The generosity and support that we have received so far is incredible and we will be forever grateful. Let's keep it going!

Our first order of business is another Yard Sale! Due to the overwhelming success we had last week, we are doing it again. Same time, same Bat channel! Saturday July 21st, 8am-1pm. 1248 Bullion Street (5810 So.) in Murray. We are still accepting donations for stuff so if didn't have a chance or want to drop stuff off then please do. Then stop by and join us for hot dogs!

Our next order of business is a SAVE THE DATE. Saturday August 18th we will be hosting a LUAU! In conjunction with that we will also be doing a Hawaiian Getaway Giveaway! We have been offered a week's stay in Hawaii (Big Island or Kauai) to giveaway. We are in the process of finalizing details but we will be selling tickets for this event very soon. Your purchase of a ticket will include dinner and dessert, entertainment and an entry to win the week in Hawaii, (flights are not included). The week in Hawaii will include your lodging for calendar year 2013. This will be a night to remember and we are really excited to pull it off. So once again, SAVE THE DATE for Saturday August 18th! You will also have a chance to donate for additional entries.

Next, don't forget about our online auction, Auction For A Princess. We have many, many things for sale and would love to see every item with a bid. We will be adding even more stuff as people are still offering to donate. There is a lot to look at but please take the time to browse then place a bid to help our princess. We would also ask that you share it with your peeps! It truly is Christmas in July so why not get a jump start to the holiday season? Bid, bid, bid!

Also, Stampin' Up with Maxine Conrad. For any orders placed in July, Maxine will donate her comissions to our adoption fund. Stampin' Up is a great place to buy paper, ribbon, stamps, embellishments, etc. for crafting and scrapbooking. If you haven't had a chance please visit her website stamptothemax for ideas. Lots and lots of cute stuff!


Then lastly, our continuing fundraisers are the $22 "Bloom" necklaces and the $30 pocket watch necklaces. By purchasing one of these you are helping our Susan bloom and helping children like Susan who are on borrowed time. I would like to introduce another necklace that my same dear friend who created the "Bloom" necklaces, created. This one is a gem! It has a Matroyshka doll charm with two colorful beads and a small stamped disc that reads "UBiT" (цвіт) in Ukrainian which means bloom or flower. Of course the characters in the Eastern Europe alphabet are different than ours here so we were unable to match the "U" exactly but you get the gist of it. I am really tickled with how they turned out. There are 4 styles to choose from and the color and size of beads may vary. This is a necklace that is certain to turn heads because it is so adorable so buy one today at $25 to help our little flower! (To purchase any necklace please use the ChipIn button and leave your mailing information.)

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Alrighty I think that is it! Yard Sale, Auction For A Princess, Luau on August 18th, Stampin' Up and necklaces. Phew! Any support is appreciated! You have no idea how this journey has opened my eyes! I always knew that there were good people in this world but I am continually amazed at how good! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! I love to see my children see the goodness all around. They are excited to have a baby sister to love and protect. To teach how to dance and play. To help her know what it means to have a family. This will all be possible because of you. Every night as we kneel for family prayer, I love to hear my children pray for Susan. Sometimes it's the only thing our 3 year old Kate will say. I sometimes interupt her and tell her to pray for other things as well but then realize that it is what is important to her, that Susan is safe. I love to hear Kate say, we are going to "dopt" Susan. She often asks, "When are you going to dopt Susan so Grandma can come watch us?" Very soon Kate, very soon. Susan is so loved and we can't wait to love her even more!

An Auction Fit For A Princess!

It's Christmas in July! After many late nights and long hours, the online Auction for a Princess is finally finished and ready to go live. We may have a few stragglers/items appear in the next few days or week but for the most part it is done, finished, complete, ready! So let the bidding begin. This is definitely something that needs to be shared so many people will have a chance to look, bid and buy. So please tell your friends, neighbors, family, co-workers an help us get the word out. Please let them know that it is for a great cause! We are so close to bringing our princess home and need all the help we can get! All of the details, rules and disclaimers are listed on the auction but let me explain it right here, right now. It will run for 21 days and end at midnight on Aug. 5th. We have so many great items, over 100, so there is something for everyone. Please take the time to look even though there is sooooo much to see. Just scroll down then hit "older posts" and you will be able to view all items. There are 3 pages total to look at. To place a bid please leave a comment below the item you are interested in with the amount of your bid and your first name and last initial. Think gifts, Christmas, birthdays, weddings, etc. Before you have to go out and buy a gift please take a look at our auction first and know that your purchase will benefit Susan coming home! It really is an online store and we would love to see every item with a bid. Highest bid wins so make sure you are checking back. Bids can increase by $1 increments. Payment can be made to our Reece's Rainbow donation account or you can mail a check or hand deliver cash to the address listed on the auction blog. Because this auction is a fundraising event we will not be able to cover shipping costs, however I can give you a quote before you place a bid and it will be exactly what the USPS would charge. (Just remember and take into consideration that if you were to purchase the item from an online store or eBay then you would pay for shipping anyway.) We hope you will understand. Please send or deliver your payments by Aug 12th.

I want to give a shout out to all those who have so generously given items for this auction to even allow it to exist. Thank you, thank you! If you have questions about an item or something else, please send me a message. Now that the auction is done and live, maybe I can get to bed at a decent hour. Oh my weary eyes! Maybe it won't feel like my husband and I are ships in the night, passing. Oh how lucky I am to have the husband that I have! He is my lighthouse!

Have fun and let the shopping and bidding begin! To enter the auction blog, click here, Auction For A Princess.

10 Things That I Learned.......

.......while preparing and holding a yard sale.

1. My kids definitely have way too much! Talk about over indulgence! Holy smokes we had a lot of clothes! If I could collect a dollar for every item of clothing that we pulled out of the attic, our adoption would be fully funded!

2. I am emotionally attached to the clothes that were in the attic. It was hard letting go especially of the baby, baby clothes knowing that Susan is our last. Why can't they stay itty bitty forever?

3. Maternity clothes are really, REALLY comfy! I pulled out some pants and tried them on to reminisce how comfortable they are. They were so comfy that I decided to keep them for every day wear. In fact I'll share a little secret, I even wore a pair today, however I was constantly pulling my pants up so I decided it's time to let them go too.

4. People buy the things that you think wouldn't sell and the stuff that's left is the stuff that you  assumed would have gone first. One man's junk is another man's treasure for sure!

5. Even at a fundraiser people offer you a dime for everything, big and small. So you tell them why you are doing the fundraiser hoping they'll want to pay a little more, they seemed touched and you see a glimpse of hope, but then one second later they still ask, "So will you take a dime?" ha ha!

6. There are so many generous people too! Not only did we have several donations of stuff, including a whole storage unit of stuff, we had many people who would say, "Keep the change!" There are so many amazing people in this world. Many within our own community. Thank you all!

7. Hot dogs are a hit! Even at 10:30 am, the smell of a grill draws people in. We sold several hot dogs, people were just gobbling them up! Thanks Amy for standing over a hot grill to provide lunch to our fellow yard sellers.

8. You get very distracted when the yard sale is at your home and you're in charge. People are asking questions left and right and you really don't remember what you are doing. My oldest son could have told me that he was getting his nipple pierced and a tattoo and I would have kindly agreed. Thank goodness we had grandma and others around to watch the kiddos.

9. When you pray for something you had better be prepared for the answer. The weather forecast predicted rain today. Even last night it got a bit stormy and windy and I was worried that we would have to postpone. I prayed that we would have good weather at least until 1 pm when the yard sale ended and after that it could pour buckets if needed (which we do need living in a desert). Well morning came and it was beautiful. It was overcast and the sun peeked out to kiss us every now and then so it was absolutely perfect for a yard sale. We were blessed with this good weather up until 1pm, even 1:20 so we got a bit greedy and decided to keep going because we still had traffic. Well at 1:30 it starts to sprinkle and even then we thought that it would blow over, but it didn't. It actually started down pouring (buckets) and we were rushed to shove things back into the garage. Luckily through another tender mercy my best friend and her sister and their families arrived just as we were rushing to get stuff out of the rain and they saved the day. Lots of stuff got really, really wet, but it could have been worse had we not had their help. So I guess my point is, God answered my prayer and held off the rain until 1 pm like I had asked but we should have been satisfied and accepted His will and started packing up at 1 pm. Now our garage smells like a swamp but it's all good!

10. You never know what to expect when your holding a yard sale, but one thing holds true. The friends and family who come together to help is priceless. We could not have done it without the help of people showing up without being asked and just getting to work. We could not have done it without the generous donations. We could not have done it without grandma and others looking after the children so we could bargain and barter. Thank you, thank you! I was also reminded of how wonderful my husband is who reassured me that he would be able to unload the garage with only the help of our son. I sometimes forget that he is Superman! And who woke up at 6 am to hang signs. I was reminded of how wonderful and responsible my oldest boy is who also woke up early to get to work without any complaints. He too is another Superman in my life! I was filled with joy to see my little ones digging through boxes thinking they were helping when really they were just trying to acquire more junk! And my heart smiled when I saw the constant traffic of people who were there with even with their 10 cents to support our cause. We even had a couple of blog followers come! We had a very successful day! We raised $1700! Amazing!

We had such a successful day today that we have decided to do it another weekend. So if you have stuff we'll gladly accept it. It would be so wonderful to raise the same amount next weekend! We still have a lot, but new stuff would be nice for a little variety. We also have brand new sunglasses and reading glasses for sale. One of my dear friends donated hundreds of pairs of new glasses so there are many to choose from, both kids and adults sizes. Thanks J! And of course we'll be grilling hot dogs again. So drop off your stuff and stop by next Sat. the 21st for another fun filled, hot diggity dog day!

Once again many many thanks to those who made this day possible! We're getting closer! We feel blessed and know that the Lord has His hand in this. Just yesterday a friend reminded me that once we do all that we can do the Lord will step in and do the rest. I have always known this, but it was a nice reminder and I know that through Him all things are possible!

Golden Ticket

Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! We had heard that the average time to bring a child home from Susan's country is 7 months but that it is also possible to happen in 4. It still may be early to celebrate but we may be able to do it 4! As much as the paper chasing was time consuming and frustrating, it all came together pretty quickly. We only had a couple of snags but those were always resolved pretty quickly too. Once I mailed the docs to the USCIS (United States Customs and Immigration Services) and had all of the other docs apostilled at the state capital, remember the $650 bill, a huge weight was lifted. Now we just play the waiting game, but even that has been easier than I thought.

We were given a 75 day waiting period to receive our approval from the USCIS. I knew that once they received our application, then we would get a letter notifying us of our fingerprinting appointment. Well our application was received on June 18th. We received our fingerprinting appointment letter a couple weeks later and our appointment to get that done was scheduled for July 17th. We were told that we should walk in and have our fingerprints done sooner than our scheduled appointment, so we did on July 5th. When I returned home I called the USCIS to let them know that we had already taken care of them and at that time I was told that our file still hadn't been assigned to anyone and that it could still take 75 days. 2 days later I received a phone call and heard the best news ever! We got approved! Our "Golden Ticket" came in just 2 days after our fingerprints! Such a tender mercy! What this means is that we now have approval from the United States to adopt one child with special needs. "Sweet pea, that is you!" We immediately had our "Golden Ticket" notarized, sent it to our adoption team to make sure that it was good to be apostilled, then I went to the capital again today to have it apostilled. Once I receive that in the mail in a couple of days it will be sent to Susan's country and our dossier (packet of all of our docs that is waiting in her country) will be complete. Hopefully they are in the process of  submitting our first set of docs, to match us with Susan, then we will be submitted to get approval to adopt Susan. Once we get that approval we will get a travel date. We still have 6 weeks or so to wait but if everything continues to run smoothly, we will possibly be travelling in September. Mark and I will be celebrating our 16 year anniversary on Sept. 6th and I cannot think of a better anniversary trip. We came together in love, hoping one day to grow our family and Susan will be the icing on the cake with a cherry on top! I really hope that it works out that we can travel in September. Prayers please!

What this really means is that we have 6-8 weeks to get fully funded. I have faith that we can do it. Heavenly Father didn't bring us this far, didn't lead us to this point to not have it work out. Susan is one of his precious children who has a chance to be saved! We have a chance to save her and we will! We have a few fundraisers that will take place in the coming weeks and we would love you all to stop by, participate and support us.

1. YARD SALE/FUNdraiser! It will be held this Saturday the 14th, 8 am-1 pm. We have been blessed by so many donations to make this happen. The garage is chuck full of stuff that people have dropped off and donated. Thank you neighbors, family and friends! We will be selling hot dog lunches so if you're not interested in shopping then stop by for a dog!

2.Online Auction! Christmas in July! I will post more details very, very soon but we have loads and loads of brand new stuff to auction. Over 75 items and counting! It will go live very soon and will last a few weeks. There is something for everyone. Think gifts, Christmas, birthdays, weddings, etc. It's an auction fit for a princess, our princess!

3. Stampin' Up with Maxine Conrad. Stampin' Up is a scrapbook, crafty, card making, stamp business with the cutest stuff ever. Paper, stamps, ribbon, fabric, embellishments, whatever you need to create the cutest gifts and crafts. Maxine is a demonstrator for Stampin' Up and has offered to donate her commissions for the month of July to any of our friends, family, followers who place an order with her. Please visit her website by clicking here stamptothemax . Check out her ideas and specials and place an order today!

4. Don't forget the Bloom Necklaces for sale. $22. And the Pocket Watch Necklaces. $30.

5. Save the Date! AUGUST 18th from 7-9 pm. We have something very special coming up on August 18th. More details to come but it's a night you won't want to miss! Think date night, food, entertainment, music, trip giveaway! ( I had you at food right?)

Lots of FUNdraising coming up and we couldn't be more excited! We are ready to bring our princess home. It takes a village and you my friends are the village! Our account hasn't moved in weeks. Please do what you can to support us and remember our Reece's Rainbow donation button is always open, 24/7. You may not be able to make the yard sale or order Stampin' Up but you can donate and know that you are making a difference. In less than 2 months, we may be able to hold our baby girl in our arms and tell her that she is loved, not only by her family but by the many people who had a hand in bringing her home!

Before I head to bed let me leave you with a quote that really touched my heart today.

July's Offers and Deals

We have had several dear friends who have stepped forward and have offered to help with our fundraising efforts. This post is to introduce to you one of those offers. Maxine Conrad is one of our English friends. She grew up in Hull where Mark is from and she and her family are very close friends. She moved here to Utah in 2001 and became a Stampin' Up demonstrator to make new friends, never imagining that she would actually make it a career. She loves everything Stampin' Up has to offer and has even earned a few trips to Hawaii and the Carribean. She has a heart of gold and has offered to give us her comission for any items purchased during the month of July. Stampin' Up has so many cute things, ideas, stamps, paper, fabric, ribbon, vinyl, digital scrapbooking, gifts, card making supplies, scrapbooking supplies, etc. So any orders placed in July by our friends and followers will help with our adoption. Just click on this link,  stamptothemax  and let the ordering begin. If you have any questions, you can also email her, maxine@stamptothemax.com. Her other contact info. is also on the link. She does many card making workshops and other project workshops so contact her to book a night where all of your friends can come toegether and craft!

Here is a sample of projects and ideas.

Bag O' Chocolate

Card

Fabric Flower Headband

Sweet Treats Bag

Scrapbook Page

Journal

 Place an order today! It's win win situation! 

Click on this link to get started. stamptothemax

What About Now?

Happy July to you! Happy July to you! Happy July to everyone! Happy July to you! I cannot believe that it is July already. Half of the year is already gone. Do you remember when you were a kid and the school year seemed like it would never end and the summer holiday lasted forever? For that reason alone I miss being a kid. Now that I have kids the days just seem to fly by and I can't even keep up with what grade my oldest is in because it all just seems to run together. My goodness, school has already been out for almost a month and it feels like we have done a lot of nothing. It doesn't help that all last week we were sick. Stinkin' colds and infections! Hopefully we're on the mend and we can enjoy the hot weather and enjoy this upcoming holiday. Parades, fireworks, picnics, pool, bring it on! It's fun to think that this time next year, Susan will be celebrating with us. Very soon she will be able to enjoy all of the holidays that we enjoy! I really hope that she will never have to celebrate a birthday alone. If all of the stars align she will celebrate her first with us!

We have made lots of progress with our adoption. At the moment all of our paperwork including our dossier is on it's way to her country. Usually you don't send your dossier until you have your "golden ticket" from the US but we were told to go ahead and send it now. That way when we do get our approval letter our dossier will be finished with translation and it will be ready for submission. Once our dossier is submitted and we get approved, we will get a travel date. We may travel as soon as September. Did you hear that? September?  If that is correct then we have a lot of fundraising to do and we cannot do it alone. We need your help even more than ever! If we get a travel date in September and we are not fully funded, I don't even know what will happen. I've said this before and I'll say it again, we have the best friends, family, community and co-workers and with their friends, family, communities and co-workers we can reach our goal and be fully funded by September. Please, please help us make it happen. Please, please share our story with your peeps. Please, please share our blog link. Please, please do what you can to help us bring Susan home.

I am usually one who doesn't care what other people think but over the past couple of weeks I have wondered if people think to themselves "Here she goes again!" when I post a new blog post on Facebook. I also wonder if there are people who feel that if we don't have enough money to adopt, then why are we? Everyone's situation is a little different so let me share ours. We don't have $30K just sitting in a savings account for a "Maybe We'll Adopt Some Day" fund. Adopting Susan was not a decision that we had made years ago, to even allow us the time to save money. We felt the need to do it now and there is no reason why Susan has to to wait years until we can afford to do it. She shouldn't have to sit in an orphanage any longer than she needs to. She is one of the lucky ones who only has to lie in a crib for not even a year hopefully while others lie in cribs for the rest of their lives. We have found her at an early age where we can help her now and get her started in the early intervention programs that are offered. Even though I have felt in my heart for years that I could adopt and love another child as my own, I never imagined that she would be a little girl who has Down syndrome who waits in an orphanage because she wasn't "normal", a baby who needs our love now! It took a while for my husband to feel the same way and now that we have committed, we don't have years to decide what to do, we have made the decision to act and there is no time to waste. We are saving a child from a life that she should never have to know and offering her the love and gift of a family. It is the hardest thing to ask for donations but I really hope that more people will begin to understand and become aware that these children are worth friends, family, communities and co-workers coming together to raise thousands of dollars so they can feel valued and loved. It takes a village to raise a child and that same village can raise money for that child I just know it. I'm just about to come off of my soap box but before I do I just want to ask, "What about now?" What about today? We have to do today what we can do now! So if that means that maybe you can brown bag your lunch this week and apply what you would have spent for lunches and donate it to a good cause then do it! If it means that instead of just ignoring my latest blog post you acutally take the time to read it then share it with a friend then do it! If it means that you only have $5 and you think what difference will $5 make, just do it! Donate $5 and know that you are making a difference. If you have thought about donating but just haven't had the time to figure out how to do it, just do it! Or if you are kneeling at your bedside saying your prayers and you think "Who can I pray for today?" please pray for Susan and our family. We need prayers as much as we do the money! If we can be touched as we watch a commercial about mistreated animals while Sarah McLaughlan sings "Be the Answer", then surely we can be touched when we see and hear about children who are rejected because they were born with an extra chromosome and help those families who have decided to rescue one of these children. Look at these faces and tell me you're not touched.

Alexander

Artem

Daria

Hope

Megan

Michael

Morgan

Vasilisa

Some of these chidren have waited years, Susan doesn't have to. The families that are coming forward to rescue these children are "The Answer" for them to not have to endure life in an institution. These children and families need you now! Susan needs us and we need your help to bring her home possibly in the next 2 months. We need your help today! Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Together we can make a difference! I will post very soon a few of our fundraising ideas for the upcoming months. One of them will be a yard sale on July 14th. If you have items/furniture that you were going to get rid of please hold onto them and we will gladly take them off of your hands. You can drop them off to our home on Friday the 13th. Also we will be having an upcoming Online Auction and are looking for donated items for that too. New crafts, clothing, giftcards, home decor, art, jewelry, you name it, we want it! Thanks again! God Bless!