I need to just be patient

Do you know how many times a day I tell M and E that they need to be patient.  How can I expect 4 year olds to be patient when I myself seem to have none.  This wait for LOA is driving me insane!  I know it has only been 34 days since we submitted our LOI but it has been 57 days since our dossier was logged in at CCAA.  I pray dear Lord that our LOA doesn't take as long as E's took, I don't have 117 days in me.

On a side note, you know your children watch too much TV when your son is sitting at the counter saying "Don't get mad, get Glad!"  And he said in the most stinking cute voice. 

Wonderful weekend

We spent this weekend with my mom at her house.  The kids love it when we go to the farm.  Life is wonderful at the farm.  We did some planting of pumpkin, we are late getting it done but hopefully they will grow by the fall, things flourish at the farm.  The kids played crochet with Nanna and I sat in the grass watching them have such a great time.

We had a great BBQ dinner and then went out to the fire pit to roast some marshmallows and make some s'mores.  I have to say my mom is an awesome nanna in my book.  When the kids spend time with her she makes all things fun, even working in the yard.  The kids beam from ear to ear as the hang out with her. 

After all the outside fun we brought the kids in for quick baths and then it was pedicure time.  Daddy even got in on the pedi's.  His feet had to have been on fire after working out in the sun all day on the shop.  Daddy has been finishing up Papa's shop to raise funds to bring Sophia home.  This is the second weekend he put in a 10 hour day in scorching heat.  Daddy loves his kiddos so much, even those he hasn't met yet.

Hope your weekend was full of fun and blessings!

Followers Giveaway - New prizes added

To complete Sophia's adoption we need your help.  We are trusting God to provide the provisions and are humbly asking for your help.  For our prior to adoptions we did not fundraise, for M's adoption we were able to pay for it completely as it was spread out over two years.  For E's adoption we did not have the funds to complete it and took out loans which we are still paying on .  For S's adoption we were blessed with a bonus to get our paperwork to China however for the final part we do not have a bonus coming in so we are going outside of our comfort zone and asking for help from all of you.  Asking others to help us is not something we are comfortable with, we are most comfortable helping others.  I believe that the Lord is telling us to open ourselves up to the help from others and this may also open us up to criticism from others.  While that may hurt we are following the Lords instructions in James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  This will look different for each individual, maybe you would like to be able to help bring a child home however not everyone is able to adopt by donating to bring Sophia home you are doing just that.

It's time to get some excitement going with our fundraising.  We currently need to raise $7400 in order to bring Sophia home.  We are doing a followers giveaway with many ways to earn an entry.  Here are the ways you can earn an entry:

* Become a follower- I have three blogs so that gives you an opportunity of three entries just for being a follower.  If you are already a follower you have an entry already!

* Post our Bringing Sophia Home button on your blog or on facebook.  You will need to copy it onto your computer and then post the url with the photo.  We will need to be friends on Facebook for this so look me up Mandie Allen Metier.

* Write a post about our fundraiser on your blog or facebook.  We will need to be friends on Facebook for this so look me up Mandie Allen Metier.



* Donations - for every $5 donation you will receive one entry.  Please contact me at acupquitefull@cableone.net for more information on making a donation. 

Leave me a comment telling me what you have done.

Entries accept through 12:00 midnight EST Saturday August 7th.  Now on to the important part....the prizes.
To start off we have three prized in the prize pool and with every 50 25 followers another prize will be added. 

A bag from A Cup Quite Full Creations

This bag is made from beautiful Batik material.  It has a magnetic closure and two pockets large enough to hold an iPhone or a Blackberry. 

A bag of coffee from Just Love Coffee, your choice. You send me your selection when prizes are drawn and I will have it shipped to you directly. This is my favorite coffee, it has now taken the place of a certain coffee that you can get on Shamian Island in our house. This is wonderful coffee that not only helps families adopting but also helps Orphans in Ethiopia.

 
The all new Mary Kay Satin Hands donated Mona Allen. It is peach scented and heaven for dry summer hands.

A Wild Olive tee of your choice. Winner will be notified to make selection and it will be ordered and shipped directly to you.

"Scared, a novel on the Edge of the World", by Tom Davis. Thank you Sharon, for your contribution to our giveaway. Tom Davis does a remarkable job writing about and advocating for the needs of the fatherless. This is on my reading list and may be the book that I read on the long plane ride to pick up Sophia.





 
 

Check back for other items as they are added.  There are already 31 41 followers so another prize is just around the corner!  If you would like to donate a prize to the drawing please email me at acupquitefull@cableone.net.  Be Blessed!

Cutest little models!

They love to model my sewing projects for me.  I think the cutest models in the world live at my house!

For my fundraising friends

I ran across Embracing the Least of these from another fundraising friend and hopefully travel companion with our agency Bringing home Ellie blog.  Let me tell you, it spoke to me in such a big way.  If you haven't been a Fundraising Family (FF) then you might not know how lonely fundraising is.  This is not my first bought of fundraising and I can tell you that I am not good at it.  When I fundraised for Team In Training I nearly quit.  Had it not been for my mentor helping me through to the end I know I would have given up.  Running a marathon was by far easier than raising funds for a wonderful organization.

The difference between now and then is God, Team in Training was about me, adoption is about God and his commandment that we take care of the orphans and widows in their distress.  What can be more distressful than living out your life in an orhanage without a family to call your own, without the possibility for an education and a bright future.  From all I have learned from Women and Children in Crisis, the future for these children is very grim, probable horrid.  I know that God has called our family to adopt for a third time in four years.  Adoption unfortunately can be expensive, even when you take out all the frills, and this is a no frills adoption.  This adoption and our second my husband and now my kids have/are staying home.  There is no fancy air accomodations for this mama, I will be going coach all the way on the cheapest air line I'm able to find.  I will not be staying at the well known hotel in Guangzhou but in a much less expensive hotel, no Going Home Barbie for Sophia, she will have to talk E out of his.  But really in the grand scheme of things does a barbie matter, she will have a family to call her own forever and she will have the opportunity to know the love of Jesus, for Jesus does love the little children, all the children of the world!

T-Shirt giveaway

The Marquez family has designed a beautiful t-shirt, actually a couple of them.  Check out their t-shirt giveaway at Holding God's Hand in the Journey.  They are in the journey to adopt their son/children from Ethiopia and are an amazing couple.  Please follow their journey and if you aren't one of the luck recipients of a t-shirt you can purchase one from them soon.  

My Cup Overfloweth

Solomon's family is working very hard right to raise the final funds needed to bring him home.  This family has put their trust in God to provide the provision for him to join his forever family.  They are weeks away from leaving for China but can't get to him without your help.  Please visit them at My Cup Overfloweth and consider making a donation towards their final adoption expense.  They are holding a fantastic giveaway where everyone wins a prize. 

A Joyful Heart

Please check out my friends Sharon's auction blog A Joyful Heart.  She is raising funds to bring home Shaylee Joy and she is quickly running out of time as they are leaving very soon to bring her home.  Sharon is such a wonderful, giving woman of God.  Not only is she raising funds to bring her daughter home but she donates items to many other families doing the same thing.  You will find her beautiful rainbow roll in many fundraisers throughout the adoption and orphan support community.  Thank you Sharon for blessing others!

"Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you."  Deuteronomy 16:17

Auction, two items end tomorrow!

The auction will be ending in a little over 24 hours for two super cute items at Bringing Sophia Home.  Go check them out and make a bid!  The rainbow roll will make a wonderful Christmas present (my kids are getting them for Christmas, ssshh don't tell them, good thing they can't read yet) or great for traveling if you are taking your little ones on a summer trip or even a trip to bring a sibling home.  We appreciate your support and help in bringing Sophia home.

Upcoming fundraiser!!!!!

Yesterday I nearly started crying when I read my email.  We have been chosen as one of Hip Mom jewelry's first fundraising families.  We should be hearing more about her fundraising program in a few weeks so keep checking back.  She has fantastic jewelry that makes wonderful gifts for others or yourself.  I myself can't wait to spend my birthday money on a little treasure for myself!

Lots of fundraising ideas are floating around in my head these days.  I need to update the ticker but I believe we are at $2500 earned so far.  Another HUGE yardsale is in the works for late August or September, if you are from our neck of the woods and would like to donate items to our yardsale let me know, we are happy to pick up your donation.  My sweet sister S is planning a fundraising dinner for us.  We grew up in a very small town so there is a lot to take into consideration before we jump in full steam ahead.  She has such a beautiful generous heart, once she gets her mind on it there is no stopping her.  Although the auction blog has not been very active yet I still have great hopes for it.  In the next week I have a followers giveaway planned.  It will launch on Saturday July 17th.

My husband has been working like crazy on a shop to raise additional funds too.  If the kids could find something to do to raise money I know they would be doing it too.  It's hard for four year olds to participate but they love to help with the yardsales.  Last weekend I spent 12 hours on Saturday and 6 hours on Sunday on a yardsale at the park in my home town.  Although it was a quieter weekend that I had hoped for we still raised $225 and I met a lot of wonderful people.  I really enjoyed the time we spent in the park, the kids had a blast playing tea and dressup with the yardsale items and I had an opportunity to visit with some great people.  Although it was hot and the wind blew constantly it is a memory to charish.  The journey to Sophia is bringing me in touch to some wonderful people.

We appreciate everyone's prayers and support.  Without you we can't bring our baby girl home. 

Thankful Thursday

When I stop to think about my life, I mean really think about it, I have so very much to be thankful for.  Jesus has blessed me in so many ways, the biggest way is my family.  I got a little misty eyed thinking about it the other night after enjoying the Fourth of July festivities. 

As I was putting E into the car after the fireworks he told me in his very sleepy voice that he had a great day.  The thing was, it was a very simple day.  Breakfast in the park, lunch at Nana's with extended family, playing hard all day with cousins, riding the four wheeler with Nana and daddy to check on the cows, a childrens carnival in the park and snuggling up with my uncle to watch the fireworks.  As I watched him all settled in with my uncle enjoying the evening firework show it dawned on me that a little more than two years ago he was in China without a family to call his own.  Now he is here with so many people that feel so blessed to be part of his life.  While there are people who do not understand the reason why we have chosen to form our family the way we have all I have to do is remember this day and how much love my children receive from so many for me to know why we do what we do.

Tuesday was my birthday and I was blessed with a wonderful dinner cooked by my husband and kids.  It was so nice to walk in the door to the wonderful smell of lasgna and bread.  To sit down and enjoy a wonderful dinner without going out and dealing with waits in restaurants and try to keep our kids occupied while we wait for food.  I have to say that this is the first year I didn't want to go out to dinner and was so happy and excited when I walked in the door and knew my husband read my heart.  While at work someone asked if we were going out to dinner and my reply was I sure hope not.  In our journey to simplify we have not been eating out much.  I even made E's birthday cupcakes for preschool and his cake for his party.  I have to tell you they enjoyed decorating those cupcakes so much more than they would have enjoyed the little rings that come on top of the store bought cupcakes.  I am finding that living a simpler life is such a blessing, full of so many memories we can make together.

Another thing I am so thankful for is my wonderful sisters.  There is nothing like being able to poor your heart out to your sisters even if you are being a whiny boo hooer.  I love how they listen to me and give me support and an encouraging word.  They help me work through things and they support the things that I am passionate about.  I'm also so thankful for our parents.  They truly helped mold us into the people we are today. 

While life is stressful with so much going on and funds that need raised, I am so glad that I was able to take a moment to think about my life and how full it really is.  Full of all the things He has promised with so much more to come.