oddly enough, it's been the people we barely know or haven't been acquainted with in a while (long lost friends, friends of friends of family, great Aunts we've never met, old high school flames, mom's group peeps, neighbors, preschool parents, new friends, old bosses, co-workers) who've become the most eager to get involved. we continue to stand by: jaw dropped and humbled.
here's a few cool moments/updates:
1. sending off our apps 2. free junk (next door to my parent's house) for our yard sale 3. my physical is complete 4. she carries her sister's picture everywhere 5. blessed by a friend's hard work 6. totally stunned 7. filling up the van 8. a sweet book for Ellie 9. her name handwritten 10. fingerprinting done 11. gasp! 12. the parking lot at psych eval
but wait there's more...
13. a super thoughtful friend of mine has a furniture refurbishing business. so in honor of Elizabeth, she named one of her pieces "the Elizabeth", SOLD it and is sending us the profits!!!
14. this new blog pal and fellow Russian adoptive mama not only gave a huge amount to our FSP, but then advertised our etsy shop on her own blog!
15. a photographer associate of mine is newly pregnant and ill with morning sickness.. so she has been sending her clients to ME! both of her clients (who do not even know me - or our adoption story) plus one of mine (just today) paid me DOUBLE what i had expected. =O
16. a neighbor ordered a customized banner for her sister's (a famous design blogger) baby shower!
17. a sweet old high school girlfriend of mine drove out from LA to drop off boxes and boxes of health food/goods for a silent auction we are hosting including 4 handmade vintage aprons.
18. a preschool parent is giving me orders for more bows every day.
19. another one of my preschool parents is trying to coordinate a benefit concert.
20. after praying over my decision to open my preschool doors this year, i filled all 7 spots in ONE day! all from referrals.
21. a dear friend is using her house as a drop off zone for her friends to bring their yard sale donations. she came by this week with so much stuff crammed into her van, they couldn't even look out the back window.
22. there has been countless "shares" of our journey, our photography, and our shop whether through facebook/twitter or blogger.
THANK YOU! i could never say it enough. Elizabeth thanks you (well... she will).
still need more proof God is at work? our homestudy will be complete - early! - at the end of the month, and then our agency recently called to tell us it's possible we may be traveling "if not thanksgiving-ish, before Christmas." it's all just so much more than we can fathom. we are continually awed, continually blown away at God's most-innovative provision and abounding grace through this process.
besides the free money coming our way, we have done some big time budgeting homework with the infamous Dave Ramsey (i am so not a fan of his hardcore financial planning - but of course, she is worth it!). hence, Adam is signed up for some extra LONG shifts (there goes our summer), i got my etsy shop - chock full of Ellie clips and customized banners (my fingers aren't quite down to the nub just yet), the photog biz is taking off (praise Jesus), the preschool is starting up in the fall (hooray!) and, and we are still able to give regularly outside of our own adoption- it's pretty much all God's money anyway, and seeing that He's provided thus far, why not trust him with every cent?
would you believe it if i told you our Ellie account is up to $3,400?! i noted we need 6k by September, but truth be told, i have no idea what we'll need when. if we travel in November (which is a possibility) we'll need another 6k + airfare (aprox. $4,000). agh! it's pretty much a non-stop wave of fees. but we are trucking along, yet to fret over a dime, or beg or plead or guilt anyone for that matter.
so what's $36,600 more to the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, or ... the entire universe for that matter?
if you are wondering how you can help, we have plenty of sales/services/solutions to offer/encourage your involvement...
1) purchase a clip! or share Ellie's shop with your friends! the link is here! i tell you the truth: every flower is (tediously) made with LOVE!
2) if you are local, book a session with me! see recent work here. i'm offering a seasonal discount right now. and my in-home photo studio is in the works in one of our spare ooms. babies and kids? bring 'em over!
3) Purge your house and donate to our yard sale. there are three drop zones (email me for info)
4) Donate a good or service for our upcoming silent auction. examples include:
GOODS: crafty goods -handmade clothing, items & accessories, theme-baskets, event tickets, memberships, trip/vacation packages or timeshare stays, electronics - computers, DVD players, ipods, video game players, appliances & furniture
SERVICES: photography session, website design services, tax preparation, lessons - music, swimming, karate, auto -oil change, tire rotations, birthday party packages - pizza parlors, kid gyms, dental- teeth whitening, home services - pest control, landscaping, pool care, painting, furnace/AC servicing, spa/pampering- hair styling, manicure/pedicure, massage, spa treatments
thank you again for your time/help/encouragement! your efforts never go unnoticed.
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