Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on my last post. It was very helpful. I've actually sat down several times to update my blog, but things have just been so busy. So, hold on...here we go.
Costa Rica is now off of our consideration list. They are requiring a 6-week stay. We simply can't do that. The two little girls from India appear to still be available, but the agency will not respond to my emails. So the girls and that agency are off of our consideration list. We are back to Bulgaria.
We have also made a 99% commitment to choosing Tree of Life as our placing agency. We previously were going to go with Christian World Adoption (and I still feel good about them), but Tree of Life has a bit of an edge in their experience with Bulgaria. They also come with glowing reports from their referral list.
Last night we attended another informational meeting at Heaven Sent Children (HSC). We went to one a long time ago, but we felt is was a good time to go again to meet the staff and get a few more questions answered. Tim is about 98% finished with his autobiography, and I have redone the rest of the application to update it. So, when his is completely finished, we just need to have everything signed and notarized to send it in to HSC and get our homestudy officially started. At the same time, I will send the pre-application to TOL (Tree of Life) to get started with them. TOL says that we should work on both at the same time and strive to finish everything at the same time. My head is already swimming a little trying to figure out what do to first.
In fundraising news, we have finally had our final 2009 yard sale. Our total last weekend was $533.65. That brings our yard sale total for 2009 to $1524.77. Since we began fundraising 2 years ago we have raised $2110.47 just on yard sales! Not bad. Of course, if anyone out there would like to send us a check for $20,000, I would not mind forgetting future yard sales. ; )
As always please pray for us during this process. We want to make sure our boys are prepared, and I don't want Tim stressed more than he already is with work for school.
And (as always) I am open to any fundraising ideas you may have. Better still any income ideas you may have would be helpful. Fundraising is great for now, but more income would help much longer.
Showing posts with label fundraising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fundraising. Show all posts
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Exhausted and Overwhelmed
Okay, I am totally exhausted and overwhelmed. Let's start with the exhausted part.
We had a BBQ sandwich fundraiser at church tonight, so my story begins on Friday. Friends from church purchased and smoked the meat for us. I picked it up from them about 8:00 Friday night. After getting settled in for the night, Tim and I got busy pulling the meat. We didn't get started until about 10:00. Tim had to quit about 11 or 11:30 and tend to the boys who were set for a "camp out" in the living room. (No tents. We just all sleep in the living room. They love it.) I finally quit pulling at 1:30 and got in bed by 2:00. We slept in Saturday morning, but I got started again on the pulling about 8:30 and pulled for another couple of hours. This was followed by a rushed trip of shopping for the dinner and picking up crockpots from my mother-in-law. Once home, I inhaled some lunch and took the boys to back-to-back birthday parties from 2:45 until 7:00.
I was so ready to catch up on some sleep, but I didn't make it to bed until about 11:30. Next, Colton woke me up about 1:30. He can't stand to be stopped up and unable to breathe. We moved to the couch where I slept sitting up beside him for about an hour. I later slid over enough to lie down on the couch and finally moved back to my own bed about 4:45. Whew! Finally, sleep.......NOT! Eli comes in at 5:30. "Can I have a drink of water?" "Can you get?" "Yes." and off he goes to get a drink from his water in the fridge. At least I didn't have to do much that time. Next my alarm goes off at 6:00, but I don't hear it until about 7:00.
Sunday arrived. Sunday morning service. Bro Jason preached a wonderful sermon connecting earthly adoption to being adopted into God's family. Hopefully hearts were stirred, and we won't be the only ones adopting for long. The afternoon is filled with last minute preparations. I got to church a little after 4:00 to start setting up. Choir practice was at 4:30. The concert was at 6:00. After cleaning up, we left the church at 8:00.
Now for the overwhelming part. When we got everything put away, I finally emptied our donation bucket to begin counting. By the time I finished, I was in tears. We needed around $500 to meet our self-imposed Phase 1 goal ($6000). Instead of that goal being met, it was crushed. After expenses, we cleared just over $2000!!! Praise God! Not only are we ready to start sending in paperwork, but I really needed that boost of support.
WOW! What a Weekend!
We had a BBQ sandwich fundraiser at church tonight, so my story begins on Friday. Friends from church purchased and smoked the meat for us. I picked it up from them about 8:00 Friday night. After getting settled in for the night, Tim and I got busy pulling the meat. We didn't get started until about 10:00. Tim had to quit about 11 or 11:30 and tend to the boys who were set for a "camp out" in the living room. (No tents. We just all sleep in the living room. They love it.) I finally quit pulling at 1:30 and got in bed by 2:00. We slept in Saturday morning, but I got started again on the pulling about 8:30 and pulled for another couple of hours. This was followed by a rushed trip of shopping for the dinner and picking up crockpots from my mother-in-law. Once home, I inhaled some lunch and took the boys to back-to-back birthday parties from 2:45 until 7:00.
I was so ready to catch up on some sleep, but I didn't make it to bed until about 11:30. Next, Colton woke me up about 1:30. He can't stand to be stopped up and unable to breathe. We moved to the couch where I slept sitting up beside him for about an hour. I later slid over enough to lie down on the couch and finally moved back to my own bed about 4:45. Whew! Finally, sleep.......NOT! Eli comes in at 5:30. "Can I have a drink of water?" "Can you get?" "Yes." and off he goes to get a drink from his water in the fridge. At least I didn't have to do much that time. Next my alarm goes off at 6:00, but I don't hear it until about 7:00.
Sunday arrived. Sunday morning service. Bro Jason preached a wonderful sermon connecting earthly adoption to being adopted into God's family. Hopefully hearts were stirred, and we won't be the only ones adopting for long. The afternoon is filled with last minute preparations. I got to church a little after 4:00 to start setting up. Choir practice was at 4:30. The concert was at 6:00. After cleaning up, we left the church at 8:00.
Now for the overwhelming part. When we got everything put away, I finally emptied our donation bucket to begin counting. By the time I finished, I was in tears. We needed around $500 to meet our self-imposed Phase 1 goal ($6000). Instead of that goal being met, it was crushed. After expenses, we cleared just over $2000!!! Praise God! Not only are we ready to start sending in paperwork, but I really needed that boost of support.
WOW! What a Weekend!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Update 3 of 3: Adoption Fundraiser
Tim has been working on his paperwork for the homestudy this summer. Unfortunately, he was interrupted by a storage barn that was calling to be built in the back yard. Time really began to crunch as the start of school hovered over us. Now he only has weekends to work on the barn, but it is almost finished. Once he does finish his part of the paperwork, I'll go back and redo the financial information. By then, we just might have the money we need to officially get started.
We have a fundraiser coming up at our church on August 30. If you are in the area, come by for the evening service. The choir is presenting a concert. Afterward, there will be a BBQ sandwich dinner as a fundraiser. They are planning to have homemade ice cream as well! Leading up to this fundraiser, our pastor is going to be preaching on adoption in the morning service. Hopefully, that will reach some of those who have simply not considered the great need of orphans worldwide. While I certainly hope for a financially successful fundraiser, it would be even greater if someone else decided to adopt.
Finally, we are still planning one more yard sale this year for some time in September. A good bit of stuff this time is coming from Tim's grandmother's former place. She recently moved in with my in-laws after a broken hip required a hip replacement, and she has graciously donated most of her stuff to us for the yard sale.
We have a fundraiser coming up at our church on August 30. If you are in the area, come by for the evening service. The choir is presenting a concert. Afterward, there will be a BBQ sandwich dinner as a fundraiser. They are planning to have homemade ice cream as well! Leading up to this fundraiser, our pastor is going to be preaching on adoption in the morning service. Hopefully, that will reach some of those who have simply not considered the great need of orphans worldwide. While I certainly hope for a financially successful fundraiser, it would be even greater if someone else decided to adopt.
Finally, we are still planning one more yard sale this year for some time in September. A good bit of stuff this time is coming from Tim's grandmother's former place. She recently moved in with my in-laws after a broken hip required a hip replacement, and she has graciously donated most of her stuff to us for the yard sale.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
A Crazy Week
The last week has been a little crazy. Tim's grandmother recently broke her hip, and upon being released from the hospital, she moved in with Tim's parents. Last Monday, Tim's dad started running a fever. On Tuesday, they needed some Tylenol, and by the time I got to their house, Sondra was ushering David out the door to go to the doctor. They asked me to stay at their house until all of Granny's therapists left so I could lock up. I didn't feel right leaving Granny on her own. Several hours later David was admitted to the hospital, and we were temporarily moving in with Granny.
Wednesday, David was still in the hospital, Sondra was still staying with him, and we were spending another night with Granny.
Thursday, Sondra came home for several hours while we loaded a massive yard sale into a 6x8 covered U-Haul trailer to take to a friend's house for another fundraiser for our adoption. (It took two trips!)
Friday, I was up at the crack of dawn to go across town and set up the yard sale...VERY HOT! Spent another night with Granny.
Saturday, I was up at the crack of dawn again, crossed town again, and had day 2 of our sale...very hot...a brief drenching rain...very hot and steamy. After the sale, we help another couple load up all of our leftovers and haul them to their house for an adoption yard sale of their own. Now we will start all over planning for one more sale at the end of September. But David came home, so we got to go home to our own beds. The total from the sale was a little over $300. Yea!
Today, I'm tired and my house is a wreck from us just running in and out all week. I realize I promised you pics from vacation, but they are still in my camera. I hope to get to them very soon.
Wednesday, David was still in the hospital, Sondra was still staying with him, and we were spending another night with Granny.
Thursday, Sondra came home for several hours while we loaded a massive yard sale into a 6x8 covered U-Haul trailer to take to a friend's house for another fundraiser for our adoption. (It took two trips!)
Friday, I was up at the crack of dawn to go across town and set up the yard sale...VERY HOT! Spent another night with Granny.
Saturday, I was up at the crack of dawn again, crossed town again, and had day 2 of our sale...very hot...a brief drenching rain...very hot and steamy. After the sale, we help another couple load up all of our leftovers and haul them to their house for an adoption yard sale of their own. Now we will start all over planning for one more sale at the end of September. But David came home, so we got to go home to our own beds. The total from the sale was a little over $300. Yea!
Today, I'm tired and my house is a wreck from us just running in and out all week. I realize I promised you pics from vacation, but they are still in my camera. I hope to get to them very soon.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Pie Chart, Party 2009, A New Name
PIE CHART
I just noticed that I haven't updated the pie chart on the right in a while. We've had a few expenses as well as some additions lately, but the current chart still nets a good improvement. As you may recall, this chart definitely does NOT represent all the money needed to complete this adoption. But it does represent the amount we are shooting for to officially get started. We set a goal of $6000 to cover the home study, the first agency fee, and a lot of the miscellaneous costs incurred early on. We are now $605.27 away from that goal! Praise God! I think I have $5.27 in my pocket now. Anybody got $600? ; )
School lets out tomorrow, and Tim assures me that he is going to hit the paperwork hard for me...well, as soon as he catches his breath. It's been a tough last week of school. Just very, very busy. Then we should be ready to start sending things in.
PARTY-PARTY
Okay, at our age maybe we "have folks over" rather than actual partying. Whatever you want to call it, I'm launching our 2009 Party Contest. If you remember this from last year, the rules are the same. Click here to go to a full explanation on our website. This is such an easy way to make a big difference.
A NEW NAME
For the last several weeks, Tim and I have been discussing a name change for one of the girls. We've decided to change Maggie to Mattie. I don't want to go into our entire discussion here because I don't want to embarrass anyone or hurt anyone's feelings. For those of you who have adopted, you might confirm that I've heard that most of the time the husband needs a little convincing to get fully on board. Since Tim suggested this change, I took that as a very positive sign, that the girls have been on his mind lately as well as mine. I also like the fact that I can use this name to honor my dad's mother. I never knew her because she died of cancer at the age of 42 (before my parent's had even married). Her name was Bertha Matilda, and while I'm not prepared to use those exact names in 2009ish, I will certainly think of her often when I say Mattie.
I just noticed that I haven't updated the pie chart on the right in a while. We've had a few expenses as well as some additions lately, but the current chart still nets a good improvement. As you may recall, this chart definitely does NOT represent all the money needed to complete this adoption. But it does represent the amount we are shooting for to officially get started. We set a goal of $6000 to cover the home study, the first agency fee, and a lot of the miscellaneous costs incurred early on. We are now $605.27 away from that goal! Praise God! I think I have $5.27 in my pocket now. Anybody got $600? ; )
School lets out tomorrow, and Tim assures me that he is going to hit the paperwork hard for me...well, as soon as he catches his breath. It's been a tough last week of school. Just very, very busy. Then we should be ready to start sending things in.
PARTY-PARTY
Okay, at our age maybe we "have folks over" rather than actual partying. Whatever you want to call it, I'm launching our 2009 Party Contest. If you remember this from last year, the rules are the same. Click here to go to a full explanation on our website. This is such an easy way to make a big difference.
A NEW NAME
For the last several weeks, Tim and I have been discussing a name change for one of the girls. We've decided to change Maggie to Mattie. I don't want to go into our entire discussion here because I don't want to embarrass anyone or hurt anyone's feelings. For those of you who have adopted, you might confirm that I've heard that most of the time the husband needs a little convincing to get fully on board. Since Tim suggested this change, I took that as a very positive sign, that the girls have been on his mind lately as well as mine. I also like the fact that I can use this name to honor my dad's mother. I never knew her because she died of cancer at the age of 42 (before my parent's had even married). Her name was Bertha Matilda, and while I'm not prepared to use those exact names in 2009ish, I will certainly think of her often when I say Mattie.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
5/21-22 Yard Sale
We are so tired tonight, but all in all it has been a good yard sale weekend. Counting the rainy attempt a couple of weeks ago, we have raised $782. That's better than we averaged last year, so I'm tickled! I think we confused a lot of people with the "Donations Only" concept, and I'm afraid it didn't translate very well with the non-English or limited-English customers. We'll have to work on that for next time.
I did learn that the "Donations Only" tactic works better on the Friday crowd. They are your "professional" yard-salers. They know what things ought to be worth and either offer that or a little more. The Saturday crowd either gets nervous because they don't have a clue what to offer for an item (hint, hint...why do you think I hate to price things? I don't have a clue either!) or they expect nothing at a yard sale to be more than 25 cents. Even a couch or something. So when they hear they can just make an offer, they gather an armload and offer $2. For those of you wondering, yes...I took the $2. This was sort of an exercise in faith. I simply trusted that it would all balance out in the end. And if someone wants to look me straight in the eye and take advantage of our adoption, fine. God knows, and if they have any conscience left at all, they won't sleep well tonight. It balances with the grandmothers who shared their stories and give us "a little something extra 'cause I know how hard it is (to adopt)." One dear lady even came with pictures of her sweetie to encourage us that we were doing a good thing by adoption. Another bought just a couple of little things and gave me $40. So see? It worked out.
I'm ready now to clean out the leftovers and get rid of them. Then we will start fresh later in June.
I did learn that the "Donations Only" tactic works better on the Friday crowd. They are your "professional" yard-salers. They know what things ought to be worth and either offer that or a little more. The Saturday crowd either gets nervous because they don't have a clue what to offer for an item (hint, hint...why do you think I hate to price things? I don't have a clue either!) or they expect nothing at a yard sale to be more than 25 cents. Even a couch or something. So when they hear they can just make an offer, they gather an armload and offer $2. For those of you wondering, yes...I took the $2. This was sort of an exercise in faith. I simply trusted that it would all balance out in the end. And if someone wants to look me straight in the eye and take advantage of our adoption, fine. God knows, and if they have any conscience left at all, they won't sleep well tonight. It balances with the grandmothers who shared their stories and give us "a little something extra 'cause I know how hard it is (to adopt)." One dear lady even came with pictures of her sweetie to encourage us that we were doing a good thing by adoption. Another bought just a couple of little things and gave me $40. So see? It worked out.
I'm ready now to clean out the leftovers and get rid of them. Then we will start fresh later in June.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Rain, Bunk Beds, and Summer Break
We still have not had our yard sale yet. Two weekends ago, we set up in the garage "just in case" it rained any. Any? It rained most of the day. I found that even though we kept our stuff dry, PEOPLE don't get out in the rain to go to yard sales. DUH! Oh well, we made $40, and I had fun visiting with Cindy.
Last weekend the forecast called for a greater chance of rain than the previous weekend, so we decided (before even advertising) that we wouldn't even try. Yep. You guessed it. It was pretty most of the day. Granted, a nice storm came up earlier than we would have closed, but the sky turned black ahead of it. We could most likely have gotten everything put away in time after having been open a good 4-6 hours.
Another factor in skipping last weekend was that this coming weekend was looking promising...0% chance of rain. By Sunday, it was 10%. Monday 30% for Friday and 40% for Saturday. We've got to get this yard sale over with!!! : ) As each weekend has flopped, we have gotten more donations (yea!), and we can no longer walk through the garage to get into the house. We used to actually park there...both vehicles!
On a more exciting note, we have gotten bunk beds for the girls!! This is such an exciting step for us. I've noticed that we say things like "the girls' beds" and "the girls' room". I think this has made our adoption more real to some. It certainly has made it easier to talk about the adoption with some. I think that they figure if we are going to buy bunk beds just maybe we are serious about this adoption thing. Ya think?
Last thing... Colton has officially finished 1st grade! I think we have had a most productive year. I slipped a bit on getting him library books to read, but we've been reading a bunch in the last week or so, and he is doing very well. We still have a couple of DiscipleLand lessons to finish because we got behind and missed a day here or there, and we are going to continue history on into the summer because we didn't start until after Christmas (so we are a semester behind and I'd REEEALLy like to start second grade "on track"). I've already picked out what I need to purchase for next year, but the Homeschooling account is dry after purchasing classic literature on DVD-ROM and an ebook reader. (Yikes! but Cool!) We'll get to it eventually.
Last weekend the forecast called for a greater chance of rain than the previous weekend, so we decided (before even advertising) that we wouldn't even try. Yep. You guessed it. It was pretty most of the day. Granted, a nice storm came up earlier than we would have closed, but the sky turned black ahead of it. We could most likely have gotten everything put away in time after having been open a good 4-6 hours.
Another factor in skipping last weekend was that this coming weekend was looking promising...0% chance of rain. By Sunday, it was 10%. Monday 30% for Friday and 40% for Saturday. We've got to get this yard sale over with!!! : ) As each weekend has flopped, we have gotten more donations (yea!), and we can no longer walk through the garage to get into the house. We used to actually park there...both vehicles!
On a more exciting note, we have gotten bunk beds for the girls!! This is such an exciting step for us. I've noticed that we say things like "the girls' beds" and "the girls' room". I think this has made our adoption more real to some. It certainly has made it easier to talk about the adoption with some. I think that they figure if we are going to buy bunk beds just maybe we are serious about this adoption thing. Ya think?
Last thing... Colton has officially finished 1st grade! I think we have had a most productive year. I slipped a bit on getting him library books to read, but we've been reading a bunch in the last week or so, and he is doing very well. We still have a couple of DiscipleLand lessons to finish because we got behind and missed a day here or there, and we are going to continue history on into the summer because we didn't start until after Christmas (so we are a semester behind and I'd REEEALLy like to start second grade "on track"). I've already picked out what I need to purchase for next year, but the Homeschooling account is dry after purchasing classic literature on DVD-ROM and an ebook reader. (Yikes! but Cool!) We'll get to it eventually.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
5/9 Yard Sale Update
I guess you could say our yard sale went pretty well today--considering the fact that it rained and rained and rained. We had a few sunny/muggy moments. Then it would turn cool and rain some more. All in all, making ANY money on a day like today should be considered a success. Oh, how much, you wonder? Drum roll, please..........We made $40! (Crowds roar) Okay, that's not astounding, but it's $40 we didn't have yesterday. Plus, I got to spend the day with Cindy (my college roomie), and we met some folks who wanted to talk about adoption.
If I didn't mention it before, we decided to try a "Donations Only" sale. For the few items that sold, $40 is more than I would have priced them. So I think I really like doing it this way. Only once did I think someone offered too little, and it turned out they changed their mind and didn't take the item.
The next step is to pray really hard for pretty weather next weekend and do this again then. By having to set up inside our garage, I only had room for about 1/3 of the stuff we had (and still leave room to walk around). AND we still have 3 or 4 folks who wanted to donate, but we didn't hook up in time for this weekend. So, we're going to try to put everything out next weekend, make better signs, advertise better, etc., and see what we can do.
If I didn't mention it before, we decided to try a "Donations Only" sale. For the few items that sold, $40 is more than I would have priced them. So I think I really like doing it this way. Only once did I think someone offered too little, and it turned out they changed their mind and didn't take the item.
The next step is to pray really hard for pretty weather next weekend and do this again then. By having to set up inside our garage, I only had room for about 1/3 of the stuff we had (and still leave room to walk around). AND we still have 3 or 4 folks who wanted to donate, but we didn't hook up in time for this weekend. So, we're going to try to put everything out next weekend, make better signs, advertise better, etc., and see what we can do.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Yard Sale 2009
It looks like we are finally ready to jump into another yard sale. We are going to do things a little differently this time. We are once again taking donations, but we didn't give folks an awful lot of warning. (It sorta snuck up on me, too.) We announced it to our church, and I'm putting it here. We also went today to a house not far from us. They had an adoption yard sale last weekend and offered their leftovers to us. So, we will take what we had left from last year plus anything else I've found in the house plus these leftovers plus anything new from our church family and put it all together for a Saturday Only yard sale on May 9. When this sale is over, we are getting rid of everything. Later this summer, we'll try to pull together fresh donations and maybe hit a few yard sales for their leftovers and do this all again.
The other thing that is different this year is that (if I don't chicken out) I want to try to do this as a "donations only" yard sale. A friend did hers this way recently and was very successful. I think what I hate most about yard sales is all the effort I put into coming up with a price only to have someone haggle with me over it. I just want to scream, "Do you have any idea what I went through to come up with THAT price?" Not pricing anything sounds very freeing to me.
So. If any of you out there in BloggerLand (and within driving distance) has anything you wish to donate. Let me know. We'll be glad to pick up from you as long as our van can handle it.
The other thing that is different this year is that (if I don't chicken out) I want to try to do this as a "donations only" yard sale. A friend did hers this way recently and was very successful. I think what I hate most about yard sales is all the effort I put into coming up with a price only to have someone haggle with me over it. I just want to scream, "Do you have any idea what I went through to come up with THAT price?" Not pricing anything sounds very freeing to me.
So. If any of you out there in BloggerLand (and within driving distance) has anything you wish to donate. Let me know. We'll be glad to pick up from you as long as our van can handle it.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Let's Get Moving
Don't you hate waiting for a phone call or an email to come and then finding out that it never was going to come? Last Thursday night I was looking at a website (reputable, yes) which has photos of children around the world available for adoption. Quite often these children are the "hard to place" because of a medical condition, several siblings, or age. I ran across two profiles that caught my eye. These little girls were not sisters, but they were both listed as healthy with no developmental delays. Their ages were just right. Their birthdays were right around the same as my boys. Even their initials were K and M, just like the names we hope to use (Keely and Maggie). It was very late Thursday night, so I just sent off an email requesting some more information.
Keep in mind that I knew that at least one of the girls was not from Bulgaria. She looked Asian. Couple that with her "country" being listed as Eastern Europe, and I figured she was from Kazakhstan. Not our original plan, but who knows?
Friday came and went with no response to my email. I thought, "They could be closed on Fridays like the agency here in town." That meant that Saturday and Sunday were going to automatically be spent waiting and wondering. Monday, I still waited. Finally, in the late afternoon, I decided to call before they closed for the day. The first "problem" was that I was greeted with "Hello?" I instantly thought I had the wrong number. I asked if I had the agency...I did. It was a very strange phone call after that. She seemed to have recognized my name because she began talking about adoption in Kazakhstan even though I never mentioned which children I was calling about. Anyway, Kazakhstan has changed their policies somewhere along the way, and like Ukraine they no longer give referrals prior to travel. You are matched with a child after you get there. Bottom line, the profiles I saw are no longer valid, and the agency has simply never bothered to remove the listings... and apparently had no intentions of responding to my email.
To say the least it has been quite depressing this evening. Even in only a few days, my mind was showing those two girls here. My heart had already made room for them. My speech had already started including them in my conversations with Tim.
I do feel that we need to renew our plans with as much vigor as we can. As I thought about the possibility of beginning to pursue these girls right now, I was thrown into a bit of a panic. We aren't ready. We need to raise a little more money before jumping in. Once we jump, I'll be ready to pursue applying for every grant I can find.
I'm still working on a few Craigslist things. I've lost one bookkeeping client but have hopes of another. I have one fundraiser in the planning stages now with help from a friend at church. I would like to try the Party Night Out again. (I still think it is a great idea even if I didn't pull it off well last year.) Maybe I can "suck it up" and have another yard sale just as soon as the weather is more consistently warm. (Just not 102 like it was last year!) What do you think of a pie sale?
I still have bracelets for sale, and the pizza cards can go for $1. Any takers? I know the 4 of you who actually read my blog have got to be tired of my sales pitches...weak and ineffective as they may be. Do you have any suggestions for us? Another $1500 would be very comfortable. I'll even take bookkeeping or transcription jobs if you know of any. I've never been opposed to earning the money ourselves, but a homeschooling mom and a public school teacher just don't encounter sudden or significant raises or bonuses. (I knew I should have taken that job with AIG!!!)
Any input would be unbelievably welcome!
Keep in mind that I knew that at least one of the girls was not from Bulgaria. She looked Asian. Couple that with her "country" being listed as Eastern Europe, and I figured she was from Kazakhstan. Not our original plan, but who knows?
Friday came and went with no response to my email. I thought, "They could be closed on Fridays like the agency here in town." That meant that Saturday and Sunday were going to automatically be spent waiting and wondering. Monday, I still waited. Finally, in the late afternoon, I decided to call before they closed for the day. The first "problem" was that I was greeted with "Hello?" I instantly thought I had the wrong number. I asked if I had the agency...I did. It was a very strange phone call after that. She seemed to have recognized my name because she began talking about adoption in Kazakhstan even though I never mentioned which children I was calling about. Anyway, Kazakhstan has changed their policies somewhere along the way, and like Ukraine they no longer give referrals prior to travel. You are matched with a child after you get there. Bottom line, the profiles I saw are no longer valid, and the agency has simply never bothered to remove the listings... and apparently had no intentions of responding to my email.
To say the least it has been quite depressing this evening. Even in only a few days, my mind was showing those two girls here. My heart had already made room for them. My speech had already started including them in my conversations with Tim.
I do feel that we need to renew our plans with as much vigor as we can. As I thought about the possibility of beginning to pursue these girls right now, I was thrown into a bit of a panic. We aren't ready. We need to raise a little more money before jumping in. Once we jump, I'll be ready to pursue applying for every grant I can find.
I'm still working on a few Craigslist things. I've lost one bookkeeping client but have hopes of another. I have one fundraiser in the planning stages now with help from a friend at church. I would like to try the Party Night Out again. (I still think it is a great idea even if I didn't pull it off well last year.) Maybe I can "suck it up" and have another yard sale just as soon as the weather is more consistently warm. (Just not 102 like it was last year!) What do you think of a pie sale?
I still have bracelets for sale, and the pizza cards can go for $1. Any takers? I know the 4 of you who actually read my blog have got to be tired of my sales pitches...weak and ineffective as they may be. Do you have any suggestions for us? Another $1500 would be very comfortable. I'll even take bookkeeping or transcription jobs if you know of any. I've never been opposed to earning the money ourselves, but a homeschooling mom and a public school teacher just don't encounter sudden or significant raises or bonuses. (I knew I should have taken that job with AIG!!!)
Any input would be unbelievably welcome!
Monday, January 5, 2009
A New Year
Happy 2009!
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. I know I did. We got to spend lots of time with family. Then we ended the old year with new friends and started the new year by spending time with old friends. How cool is that?
And today, the reality check--back to school for us all. Colton started Spanish this semester (at his request), and he really did a great job with his first lesson. He and I are also going to begin a strength training program and a homemade walking program. I say "homemade" because in an effort to keep it fun, I'm simply letting him pick a TV show, and we will walk through it (in place or forward and back). Today as the first day, I let him walk until he wanted to stop. We made it 19 minutes. Now that we have a benchmark, we have to try to beat that time tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe Mom will benefit from this too.
Eli got a taste of school today as well. He has agreed to start reading lessons and was quite excited about it until today. When I got the book out, he suddenly changed his mind and didn't want to anymore. With a little coaxing and some "I just want to show you something," he got suckered into looking at the lesson and participating in it. In maybe 5 minutes, it was over. I don't know if he was more surprised that it was already over or that it had ever started in the first place. He agreed that it didn't hurt or anything and seemed to have had fun. For those of you who think I might be pushing him too much (he will be 4 in February), you need to understand that he already knows all of his letter sounds and can use the magnetic letters on the fridge to build words I sound out for him. He also often asks to do his Bible lesson with me. In other words, he wants some school time with Mommy like Big Brother gets.
Just yesterday Colton was asking again when Keely and Maggie are going to come. He is so anxious to have them here. Sometimes I worry how devestated he would be if we never raised the money to go and get them. It's been quite some time since we were able to add anything to the adoption fund. As much as I rethink everything, I still don't feel like God is saying "no" to the adoption. In the depths of my heart, I think I would be "messing up" if I quit the adoption efforts. But instead, I am trying to stay focused on the goal while at the same time seeing the snail's pace as God's timing. After all, God knows the best possible moment the girls will be ready and the best possible moment for us to travel and the best possible moment for us and the boys to be ready for them, etc.
As I always remind you, we still have bracelets and pizza cards for sale. At last check we have lost a good bit of money on the pizza cards. If there is any way you can buy one or take them to people where you work or something, it would help us out immensely.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year's. I know I did. We got to spend lots of time with family. Then we ended the old year with new friends and started the new year by spending time with old friends. How cool is that?
And today, the reality check--back to school for us all. Colton started Spanish this semester (at his request), and he really did a great job with his first lesson. He and I are also going to begin a strength training program and a homemade walking program. I say "homemade" because in an effort to keep it fun, I'm simply letting him pick a TV show, and we will walk through it (in place or forward and back). Today as the first day, I let him walk until he wanted to stop. We made it 19 minutes. Now that we have a benchmark, we have to try to beat that time tomorrow. Who knows? Maybe Mom will benefit from this too.
Eli got a taste of school today as well. He has agreed to start reading lessons and was quite excited about it until today. When I got the book out, he suddenly changed his mind and didn't want to anymore. With a little coaxing and some "I just want to show you something," he got suckered into looking at the lesson and participating in it. In maybe 5 minutes, it was over. I don't know if he was more surprised that it was already over or that it had ever started in the first place. He agreed that it didn't hurt or anything and seemed to have had fun. For those of you who think I might be pushing him too much (he will be 4 in February), you need to understand that he already knows all of his letter sounds and can use the magnetic letters on the fridge to build words I sound out for him. He also often asks to do his Bible lesson with me. In other words, he wants some school time with Mommy like Big Brother gets.
Just yesterday Colton was asking again when Keely and Maggie are going to come. He is so anxious to have them here. Sometimes I worry how devestated he would be if we never raised the money to go and get them. It's been quite some time since we were able to add anything to the adoption fund. As much as I rethink everything, I still don't feel like God is saying "no" to the adoption. In the depths of my heart, I think I would be "messing up" if I quit the adoption efforts. But instead, I am trying to stay focused on the goal while at the same time seeing the snail's pace as God's timing. After all, God knows the best possible moment the girls will be ready and the best possible moment for us to travel and the best possible moment for us and the boys to be ready for them, etc.
As I always remind you, we still have bracelets and pizza cards for sale. At last check we have lost a good bit of money on the pizza cards. If there is any way you can buy one or take them to people where you work or something, it would help us out immensely.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Here We Are
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This is our official family photo for our adoption application. Not bad for grabbing someone after church and saying, "Will you take our picture?"
VACATION
We just got back from our "mini-vacation". We went to Crossville for a week. Tim's folks have a trailor at Fairfield Glade, and his sister lives in Crossville. So we spent the week sleeping at FG and spending almost every waking moment with Beth and her family. One surprising moment was when we took the kids to the pool, and I met a lady there with her husband and 3 daughters. As she put it, one daughter was "home grown", one was from China, and one was from the Philippines. The youngest (from the Philippines) had just turned 2 the day before and had been home for 1 year. They were so precious.
YARD SALE
The yard sale begins this weekend! We are planning to be open Friday and Saturday this weekend as well as Friday and Saturday of next weekend. We have a lot of stuff, but if you have any items you would like to donate, that would be great. Let us know so we can plan to pick it up or be here for you to drop it off. In addition to actual yard sale items, we are going to have our pizza cards (more later), and I still want to have snacks like maybe candy bars and bottled water. Anyone have a suggestion on that?
PIZZA CARDS
If you like pizza (especially Papa John's), you've got to get one of our pizza cards. We decided to claim one as our own and use it while we were in Crossville. Yes, they honored it. We can officially say these are accepted outside of the Murfreesboro area. We saved $11.38 (for a large 1-topping). The card already paid for itself. Let's see...if you got the same free large 1-topping each time for the full 20 uses of the card, you would save $227.60. After subtracting the $10 you spent for the card, you would come out ahead $217.60. Not bad! If you don't live nearby, we would be more than happy to mail them to you. See if you can sell a few at work or in your neighborhood.
JOBS
I'm still seeking bookkeeping clients. My babysitting career will be ending soon, so I need to replace the income. Tim is still seeking laminate jobs. We are going to meet with someone tonight to look at his house and talk about doing his floors. Hopefully, this time things will go well, and we will actually be able to lay this floor.
NEW PRAYER REQUESTS
- Pray for Tim as the new school year begins. He isn't sure if he needs to stay in teaching or find something else. We are praying through this now but could always use a few more warriors on our side. On one hand, public schools need Christian men in them (and the kids love him) and being unemployed all summer allows him extra time with his family, especially for taking trips. On the other hand the stress is taking a toll on his health, he has almost no time for family from August through May, and the expectations handed down to him are humanly impossible to meet 100%. Tim has such integrity and such a strong work ethic that he gets all the extra assignments that the "slackers" don't do. It seems easy to say, "Well, quit. Go do something else." But when his income is by far our main source of income, it would be difficult for him to walk into a total different field and start out at the same level of income (even if it is just a teacher's salary to begin with). He wants to be where God wants him, but he would also like to love his work and not stress about it.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Another FUN Party!
A big THANKS goes to Jennifer for hosting this week's fundraiser party. She invited her homeschooling moms to come for an idea swap. Since I homeschool, too, this was a lot of fun. We talked homeschooling; we talked adoption; we talked spiritual walks; we talked and talked and talked. Although Jennifer had invited quite a number of friends, only a few were able to come. But, we still raised $50! Thanks ladies!
An even bigger outcome of the party was their enthusiasm for our adoption. They were so eager to hear our story and ask lots of questions. (If any of Jennifer's friends find my blog and have more questions, bring them on.)
YARD SALE UPDATE: Someone recently reminded me that Friday mornings are quite often busier than Saturday mornings for yard sales. Apparently, the "professional" yard-salers come out on Friday morning to catch the most stuff. So, we are going to have our yard sales on Fridays as well as Saturdays. Mark you calendar for July 11-12 and July 18-19. Again, if you have donations let us know. We will be glad to pick up any items.
An even bigger outcome of the party was their enthusiasm for our adoption. They were so eager to hear our story and ask lots of questions. (If any of Jennifer's friends find my blog and have more questions, bring them on.)
YARD SALE UPDATE: Someone recently reminded me that Friday mornings are quite often busier than Saturday mornings for yard sales. Apparently, the "professional" yard-salers come out on Friday morning to catch the most stuff. So, we are going to have our yard sales on Fridays as well as Saturdays. Mark you calendar for July 11-12 and July 18-19. Again, if you have donations let us know. We will be glad to pick up any items.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Pizza Fundraiser
Yes, we have another fundraiser going. We have pizza cards for Papa John's. Here's how it works. You buy a large pizza at regular price and get a second pizza of equal or lesser value for FREE. One pizza card gives you 20 uses--or 20 FREE PIZZAS-- for only $10. (Okay, "free for $10" doesn't make perfect sense, but that's 50 cents per pizza.) The card does not specify that it is for the M'boro area, so if you live outside our area, I can always mail you one...or two...or ten.
The other night I was sitting at the computer staring at my fundraising spreadsheet. "If we do this and this and this and make that and that and that, we'll be up to this amount. Still short." Colton came in and said, "When are Keely and Maggie going to come?"
"Just as soon as we can raise enough money to go and get them," I said.
"I know!" he said, "We could sell ice cream!" Then he ran out of here calling his daddy and told him how he had figured out how we could raise more money. He was so excited. As I later told Tim, don't think I haven't seriously considered his suggestion. The way I see it, because he is a child, he just might be better able to hear God's voice than I am. I tend to making spiritual listening a complicated process. So, I keep thinking he might be on to something. But I don't think an Ice Cream Stand in our front yard would work very well.
Yard Sale Update...We are still planning the yard sale for July 12, but we are also going to go ahead and plan a second one for the 19th as well. If you have any items you'd like to donate for either date, let us know. We'll be glad to come and pick them up. So far our inventory includes a ton of baby stuff, maternity clothes, Christmas stuff, a couch and love seat, a unicycle, and much more. We also plan to have the pizza cards for sale and maybe even some snacks.
Party Fundraiser...I'll be attending my 2nd party fundraiser this weekend. Jennifer is hosting an idea swap for her homeschooling friends. I'm hoping to get some new ideas myself. Please be praying for me as I will need to share our story so far. Most of these ladies don't have any personal experience with adoption, so maybe someone will leave this party thinking about it herself. That's exciting!
The other night I was sitting at the computer staring at my fundraising spreadsheet. "If we do this and this and this and make that and that and that, we'll be up to this amount. Still short." Colton came in and said, "When are Keely and Maggie going to come?"
"Just as soon as we can raise enough money to go and get them," I said.
"I know!" he said, "We could sell ice cream!" Then he ran out of here calling his daddy and told him how he had figured out how we could raise more money. He was so excited. As I later told Tim, don't think I haven't seriously considered his suggestion. The way I see it, because he is a child, he just might be better able to hear God's voice than I am. I tend to making spiritual listening a complicated process. So, I keep thinking he might be on to something. But I don't think an Ice Cream Stand in our front yard would work very well.
Yard Sale Update...We are still planning the yard sale for July 12, but we are also going to go ahead and plan a second one for the 19th as well. If you have any items you'd like to donate for either date, let us know. We'll be glad to come and pick them up. So far our inventory includes a ton of baby stuff, maternity clothes, Christmas stuff, a couch and love seat, a unicycle, and much more. We also plan to have the pizza cards for sale and maybe even some snacks.
Party Fundraiser...I'll be attending my 2nd party fundraiser this weekend. Jennifer is hosting an idea swap for her homeschooling friends. I'm hoping to get some new ideas myself. Please be praying for me as I will need to share our story so far. Most of these ladies don't have any personal experience with adoption, so maybe someone will leave this party thinking about it herself. That's exciting!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Yard Sale Coming...and other reminders
I finally have my yard sale on the calendar-- JULY 12. I'm also penciling in the 19th as a make-up rain date (just in case) and also as a possible sequel sale (we'll put it all out again). If you have some nice things to donate, please let us know and we can pick them up. Let us know as soon as you can because we would like to have time to organize items. We are also going to have snacks and bottled water available for sale, so if you would like to donate anything like this, that would be great.
Tim is still looking for laminate flooring installation jobs. He has had three people talk to him about it, but then other things come up to prevent the job from going through. I guess times are tough everywhere, but nevertheless we still have a mission to accomplish, and we must continue trying to raise the money. By the way, he just bought a new pneumatic nailer that he is just itching to play with. He likes installing trim, if you know of anyone who might hire him for that as well.
Like Tim, I'm still looking for more business, too. I still need about 5 more bookkeeping clients. My babysitting job could run out around the end of the year, so I need to go ahead and get that income replaced. This could totally affect whether we qualify to adopt both girls or not.
Bracelets are still for sale. Don't forget about them. If you aren't in our immediate area, I will be more than glad to mail you one.
I mentioned previously that we have chosen Bulgaria and All God's Children International. Click here to view their page on Bulgaria. Lots of adorable pictures, too.
On a more personal note, Tim and I just celebrated 13 years of marriage yesterday. It's funny how it seems like forever and yesterday at the same time. I am so blessed that God put Tim in my life (twice actually). He is my very best friend, and we have shared a lot of fun and adventurous times. Yes, there have been valleys as well, but at least we were able to go through them together.
Tim is still looking for laminate flooring installation jobs. He has had three people talk to him about it, but then other things come up to prevent the job from going through. I guess times are tough everywhere, but nevertheless we still have a mission to accomplish, and we must continue trying to raise the money. By the way, he just bought a new pneumatic nailer that he is just itching to play with. He likes installing trim, if you know of anyone who might hire him for that as well.
Like Tim, I'm still looking for more business, too. I still need about 5 more bookkeeping clients. My babysitting job could run out around the end of the year, so I need to go ahead and get that income replaced. This could totally affect whether we qualify to adopt both girls or not.
Bracelets are still for sale. Don't forget about them. If you aren't in our immediate area, I will be more than glad to mail you one.
I mentioned previously that we have chosen Bulgaria and All God's Children International. Click here to view their page on Bulgaria. Lots of adorable pictures, too.
On a more personal note, Tim and I just celebrated 13 years of marriage yesterday. It's funny how it seems like forever and yesterday at the same time. I am so blessed that God put Tim in my life (twice actually). He is my very best friend, and we have shared a lot of fun and adventurous times. Yes, there have been valleys as well, but at least we were able to go through them together.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Happy Father's Day and GNO
Happy Father's Day to my dear sweet husband! Tim is definitely one-of-a-kind. Not only is he a wonderful compliment to me (literally my other half), but he is a most excellent father. Colton has always had his dad as his favorite toy, and Eli caught on to this fact very quickly. I love to watch all three of my boys play together. They wrestle, jump on the trampoline, go for walks or bike rides, work in the yard or on special projects, and play video games together. At the same time, his primary goal is to be a father to them...not a buddy. We noticed from a very young age, our boys would get extra cuddly and loving after being disciplined, and their dad always has lots of lovin' to give them after they have received their consequences. Now, they have respect for him and just enjoy being with him and doing what he is doing. He is certainly setting an example for them in how to be a godly man.
Last night was my first GNO (Girl's Night Out) fundraiser. Gwen and Yolanda hosted, and we had a really fun time. I didn't know many ladies there (and those I "knew" I met once before), but it is so inspiring to listen to their adoption stories. Almost everyone there has already adopted at least once. They raised $145 for our adoption. [Don't forget the contest ends July 7. Any takers?]
You may have noticed my fundraiser goal pie chart has shrunk. I went ahead and changed the goal from $3000 to $6000. This may be a little short of covering the homestudy, the first agency installment, and lots of associated fees, but I think it is a reasonable goal right now for starting the process. It was hard to change the goal since we just met the old $3000 goal as I changed it. Oh well, we'll get there.
Do you remember a recent post in which I listed several obstacles to our fundraising? Well, it continues. Two people have asked Tim to lay laminate flooring and later had to back out (for their own good reasons). Tim was supposed to go to a another friend's house a couple of weeks ago to help her clean out her garage--paid for his time, and anything she got rid of would come here to await our yard sale. The night before he was supposed to go there, she called. She had taken a fall on her front steps and ended up in the emergency room with a broken nose and a very swollen face. Needless to say, she didn't feel like keeping the scheduled cleaning day. But the funniest one has got to be Corky's. I had an idea for getting this barbecue place to cater a fundraiser dinner for me. Just the other day we drove by the restaurant and noticed the message on the sign. After 12 YEARS, they have closed down the business. 12 YEARS! And they pick now to shut down just as I decide to use them. It's just too much not to laugh out loud.
Prayer Requests
Last night was my first GNO (Girl's Night Out) fundraiser. Gwen and Yolanda hosted, and we had a really fun time. I didn't know many ladies there (and those I "knew" I met once before), but it is so inspiring to listen to their adoption stories. Almost everyone there has already adopted at least once. They raised $145 for our adoption. [Don't forget the contest ends July 7. Any takers?]
You may have noticed my fundraiser goal pie chart has shrunk. I went ahead and changed the goal from $3000 to $6000. This may be a little short of covering the homestudy, the first agency installment, and lots of associated fees, but I think it is a reasonable goal right now for starting the process. It was hard to change the goal since we just met the old $3000 goal as I changed it. Oh well, we'll get there.
Do you remember a recent post in which I listed several obstacles to our fundraising? Well, it continues. Two people have asked Tim to lay laminate flooring and later had to back out (for their own good reasons). Tim was supposed to go to a another friend's house a couple of weeks ago to help her clean out her garage--paid for his time, and anything she got rid of would come here to await our yard sale. The night before he was supposed to go there, she called. She had taken a fall on her front steps and ended up in the emergency room with a broken nose and a very swollen face. Needless to say, she didn't feel like keeping the scheduled cleaning day. But the funniest one has got to be Corky's. I had an idea for getting this barbecue place to cater a fundraiser dinner for me. Just the other day we drove by the restaurant and noticed the message on the sign. After 12 YEARS, they have closed down the business. 12 YEARS! And they pick now to shut down just as I decide to use them. It's just too much not to laugh out loud.
Prayer Requests
- Keely and Maggie
- Our fundraising efforts
- More bookkeeping clients for me
- Laminate installation jobs for Tim
- and as always...constant guidance
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Summer is here
It's finally summer! Tim doesn't have to go to school anymore; Colton's friends are home during the day; our friends who are teachers are free to visit; and we don't homeschool...well, not everyday. I have gently talked Colton into continuing reading lessons and piano lessons 2 days a week through the summer. We started this reading book in January 2007 for just 3 days a week and continued all last summer. By sticking with it this summer too, we will be able to finish it before starting our first grade material. I highly recommend The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. The website suggests that even kids attending school will benefit from this method of learning to read, and I believe it. So many schools have lost all focus of phonics (learning the sounds of letters and combinations of letters so you can sound out a word). These schools have gone to memorization of words, and a kid can only memorize so much, and what happens when he is on his own and sees a word that wasn't on one of his lists?
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed homeschooling this year. I was actually afraid of kindergarten because I was used to teaching middle and high school students. Kindergarten is so fundamental and so basic, I was afraid I would have a hard time explaining things in a way Colton could understand. But the materials we used really took care of the explanations for me.
Soccer was another highlight from our school year. Funny, though, Colton's interest in soccer peaked about 2 days after the season ended. I think it was because Eli started driving the soccer ball throughout the house. Big brother then had to give him some pointers because he had actually played soccer before. Now they both want to play next year. Eli announced that he wants to be on a red team. (Colton's was blue, so I'm not sure why he picked red.) Eli will actually be old enough next year as a 4 year-old. Can't wait to see that.
Fundraising Update
Tim has a garage to clean (hopefully adding items to our yard sale). Tim may have to get a summer job, but he would love to fill his summer with installing laminate flooring. If you can recommend him to someone, please, please, please do so. He not only could raise more money this way, but he would enjoy it so much more than the summer jobs he's has in the past. Oh, and of course, he will charge way less than the stores who sell the flooring, so everybody benefits.
As for my bookkeeping, I could use more clients. I figure that if I just had a couple more clients, we could qualify for adopting 2 children through the agency we like best. (See the last posting for an explanation if you need to.) With 5 or 6 more clients, I could maintain that qualifying amount even after I stop babysitting some day. (That never was an indefinite source of income.) It doesn't HAVE to be a small business either. I can do your personal bookkeeping as well. I'd show you where you are spending money so you could see where you could trim and save. I'd also help you create and follow a budget. We've been using a budget for at least 11 of the almost 13 years we've been married. If you've never had a budget, you really should try one. I find it relieves a lot of stress when the car breaks down and you see that you have more than enough money in the Car Repairs category to cover the repairs. Ok, end of the commercial.
Back to Summer
Isn't it strange how summers seemed to last longer when we were little? Summertime was this vast space of time filled with fun relaxing activities: days spent at Granny & Grandaddy's or at a friend's house, swimming, playing outside, completing a special project and so on. So much time to just do what you wanted to do. Now, it seems like we're just getting started when the summer is gone and Tim's back at school. What was your favorite summer memory? Any big plans for this summer?
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed homeschooling this year. I was actually afraid of kindergarten because I was used to teaching middle and high school students. Kindergarten is so fundamental and so basic, I was afraid I would have a hard time explaining things in a way Colton could understand. But the materials we used really took care of the explanations for me.
Soccer was another highlight from our school year. Funny, though, Colton's interest in soccer peaked about 2 days after the season ended. I think it was because Eli started driving the soccer ball throughout the house. Big brother then had to give him some pointers because he had actually played soccer before. Now they both want to play next year. Eli announced that he wants to be on a red team. (Colton's was blue, so I'm not sure why he picked red.) Eli will actually be old enough next year as a 4 year-old. Can't wait to see that.
Fundraising Update
Tim has a garage to clean (hopefully adding items to our yard sale). Tim may have to get a summer job, but he would love to fill his summer with installing laminate flooring. If you can recommend him to someone, please, please, please do so. He not only could raise more money this way, but he would enjoy it so much more than the summer jobs he's has in the past. Oh, and of course, he will charge way less than the stores who sell the flooring, so everybody benefits.
As for my bookkeeping, I could use more clients. I figure that if I just had a couple more clients, we could qualify for adopting 2 children through the agency we like best. (See the last posting for an explanation if you need to.) With 5 or 6 more clients, I could maintain that qualifying amount even after I stop babysitting some day. (That never was an indefinite source of income.) It doesn't HAVE to be a small business either. I can do your personal bookkeeping as well. I'd show you where you are spending money so you could see where you could trim and save. I'd also help you create and follow a budget. We've been using a budget for at least 11 of the almost 13 years we've been married. If you've never had a budget, you really should try one. I find it relieves a lot of stress when the car breaks down and you see that you have more than enough money in the Car Repairs category to cover the repairs. Ok, end of the commercial.
Back to Summer
Isn't it strange how summers seemed to last longer when we were little? Summertime was this vast space of time filled with fun relaxing activities: days spent at Granny & Grandaddy's or at a friend's house, swimming, playing outside, completing a special project and so on. So much time to just do what you wanted to do. Now, it seems like we're just getting started when the summer is gone and Tim's back at school. What was your favorite summer memory? Any big plans for this summer?
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Ideas/Work/Encouragement Needed
No one ever said this was going to be easy. I never even thought it would be. But even so, we've had some interesting obstacles that have come our way.
*Not everyone in our circle is excited or even accepting of our decision. While we still believe God has called us to adopt, it's hard to erase the opinions of those close to you once their opinions have been heard.
*When I first started making bracelets, Tim took one to school, and another
teacher had just started making and selling jewelry too.*When I began making plans for a June yard sale, we received a flyer on our
mailbox that some charity organization would have a truck in our neighborhood on
a given day collecting everyone's unwanted items...like the stuff we might have
had in our yard sale.*Our church is constantly fundraising for a building project. How do you ask
church members (of a small church) to give to both?*Tim (being a teacher) can't even set out a box of candy bars or something for
sale. He can wear the bracelet, and if someone asks about it, fine. I don't work
outside the home, so I come in contact with very few people, just church.
Before I announced the Party Contest, I had 4 people who said they would be willing to host one. While I don't have any dates yet, I still have those same 4 who are still willing. (Thank you, my Fantastic Four!) If anyone else out there is planning to participate, I would LOVE to hear from you. It doesn't matter if you have 5 guests or 50. Just your efforts will be a huge help. I confess, I'm needing a little boost of encouragement.
I can't think of anything else to sell, especially when I haven't had much luck selling. I can't afford to spend money on fundraisers that might not raise any funds. The only other way to get more money that I can think of is lots of work + lots of saving. I am certainly not opposed to working. I love the feel of working hard, doing a good job, and earning money for it. (Yes, all three make a really good feeling.) So, here is my request of you today. If you know of anyone who could use me to do their bookkeeping from home, please recommend me. I use QuickBooks. I have also had a little formal tax training and am currently studying independently to learn more. I even have my tax preparer's ID number and can prepare tax returns. Or, if you or someone you know would like to have laminate flooring installed, call us. Tim loves doing this, and as a team we are quite efficient...and cheap. We have one gentleman from church who has asked Tim to install some for him as his way of helping our adoption. Tim would love to be able to fill up his summer doing this. We have even replaced siding on a couple of houses and could do that, too. Well, maybe not a 2-story house, but it doesn't hurt to ask.
Another thing that would just help morale is to hear from you on this blog. If you have ideas for us, thoughts for us, or can just type "Hi" and your name, let me know that you are out there and reading.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Have a Party!
Remember the Girls' Night Out fundraiser I went to? Well, I'm putting my own twist to it. We're having a Party Contest. You can see all the rules and how-to on my website. Click here.
Here's the idea. You think of a group of people you know and a reason to get them all together. It could be a Girls' Night Out, a card tournament, a scrapbooking party, a 4th of July cookout, etc., etc. Tell all of your guests that this is a fundraiser for an adoption, and ask them to bring a $10 donation to your party. For every party that sends in $150 or more, the host will receive a $10 Sonic Card. For the party that sends in the most money, the host will receive a $25 gas card.
I think this will allow us to receive support from people we don't know. So far, my newsletter list has 55 people on it. Since our most recent estimates for adopting 2 children is looking like $45,000, each person on our newsletter list would have to donate almost $820 each! That's not going to happen. I know I can't keep soliciting the same people to buy stuff or donate. (Although only a few people off the newsletter list have bought or donated so far.) With this contest, the person we know is only kicking in $10. This will be a great fundraiser IF ENOUGH PEOPLE WILL PARTICIPATE. The contest runs through July 7.
A Quick Update
We are still researching countries and agencies. I'm expecting a packet any day from Holt International. I'm still looking at material from All God's Children International, Carolina's Hope, and Little Miracles. We're focusing our country search on Bulgaria right now, but I see the country and agency choice as almost one choice--picking the agency based on the countries they offer and picking the country based on the agency we like.
Family Update
Colton turned 6 in April, and he just lost his first tooth. He was so very excited. Eli (3) has learned to spell his name. I know, it's a short name, but he is proud of himself. I've been hanging out at the dentist's office this month. I had 5 fillings and a crown in two appointments. Then the crown has given me trouble since day one and caused me to go back 3 times. I think the adjustment yesterday has done the trick. It already feels much better today. Tim has a birthday coming up Monday (Cinco de Mayo). If you see him, be sure to rub it in. He is trying to patiently wait out the remainder of the school year and is eagerly anticipating moving to the new middle school in the fall.
Here's the idea. You think of a group of people you know and a reason to get them all together. It could be a Girls' Night Out, a card tournament, a scrapbooking party, a 4th of July cookout, etc., etc. Tell all of your guests that this is a fundraiser for an adoption, and ask them to bring a $10 donation to your party. For every party that sends in $150 or more, the host will receive a $10 Sonic Card. For the party that sends in the most money, the host will receive a $25 gas card.
I think this will allow us to receive support from people we don't know. So far, my newsletter list has 55 people on it. Since our most recent estimates for adopting 2 children is looking like $45,000, each person on our newsletter list would have to donate almost $820 each! That's not going to happen. I know I can't keep soliciting the same people to buy stuff or donate. (Although only a few people off the newsletter list have bought or donated so far.) With this contest, the person we know is only kicking in $10. This will be a great fundraiser IF ENOUGH PEOPLE WILL PARTICIPATE. The contest runs through July 7.
A Quick Update
We are still researching countries and agencies. I'm expecting a packet any day from Holt International. I'm still looking at material from All God's Children International, Carolina's Hope, and Little Miracles. We're focusing our country search on Bulgaria right now, but I see the country and agency choice as almost one choice--picking the agency based on the countries they offer and picking the country based on the agency we like.
Family Update
Colton turned 6 in April, and he just lost his first tooth. He was so very excited. Eli (3) has learned to spell his name. I know, it's a short name, but he is proud of himself. I've been hanging out at the dentist's office this month. I had 5 fillings and a crown in two appointments. Then the crown has given me trouble since day one and caused me to go back 3 times. I think the adjustment yesterday has done the trick. It already feels much better today. Tim has a birthday coming up Monday (Cinco de Mayo). If you see him, be sure to rub it in. He is trying to patiently wait out the remainder of the school year and is eagerly anticipating moving to the new middle school in the fall.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Cool Fundraiser
Last Saturday I went to an adoption fundraiser at Gwen's house and met a wonderful group of ladies. Everyone there had either already adopted or were at least further into the process than I am. The way this fundraiser worked was really quite simple. The hostesses provide all the refreshments and a movie (which we never got around to watching). All I did was bring $10 and enjoy the great company. Most of these ladies, like myself, already had biological children when they decided to adopt. I'm really looking forward to learning more from them.
The fundraiser was for Katie Jo and raised $160. Way to go, girls! I hear she has 9 other Girls Night Out parties scheduled just like this one. Their goal is $1,000. I'm definitely going to have to try out this fundraiser. Lots of fun.
Speaking of fundraisers, I'm looking into pizza cards. Has anyone tried this one? Does it work well?
The fundraiser was for Katie Jo and raised $160. Way to go, girls! I hear she has 9 other Girls Night Out parties scheduled just like this one. Their goal is $1,000. I'm definitely going to have to try out this fundraiser. Lots of fun.
Speaking of fundraisers, I'm looking into pizza cards. Has anyone tried this one? Does it work well?
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