GIFT BASKETS

even after the yard sale was said and done with, i only had to look around to feel overwhelmed...still. we had hardly put a dent in the 3 months worth of yard sale donations collected. some people proposed another sale in a better location, a few suggested Craigslist for the leftovers, but it just seemed like so many odds and ends to post, i.e. never-ending work.

i knew our next fundraiser would be an auction. there are a few boxes we stuffed under the pool table (the one we are selling), with all kinds of goodies to offer. an old highschool pal of mine is a buyer for various health food stores. she so generously supplied us with luxurious french milled soaps (i might have trouble giving them away) and boxes of burt's bees wax chapstick, and mrs. meyers soaps/cleaning supplies, and toothpaste (you know the healthy kind), and jams and syrup, and gluten free this and that, and pasta, and chocolate, and sugar! apparently it is a goldmine - as told by my sister-in-law who actually recognized many of the brands. my friend who passed off these boxes said it would be great for a silent auction, she mentioned i could create gift baskets.

light. bulb.

GIFT BASKETS would be the key to merchandising the odds and ends that didn't sell at our ginormous yard sale. i mean really, who can say no to a cute little gift basket?

so for the past few weeks i've been on a scavenger hunt, excavating really, to compile each basket. i put my fingers to work - snapped some pics and uploaded to Facebook.

Voilà!

52 baskets total.

my fingers and, well, God himself (who spoke to the hearts of the donors- whether materially or financially) raised a total of $1300+ in less than two weeks!

can you belive that?! and my house is STILL full of stuff! i've listed lots of the bigger items on craigslist  and am actually making progress on getting my house back to normal... though i think it might be a while. ;)

in other news, our home study is DONE! done done done! (enter happy dance)

we are now working on the foreign docs which is a major headache.

pray for us please. pray we can get this step done FAST with no bumps! 

WE ARE 1/4 FUNDED. in 4 months, people, 10k!

we are so blown away at how big our God is. the mountains He's moved,

the unique circumstances He's set at just the precise time.

the people we've met along the way!

im moved. 

there are no more words.

but we

thank.

you.

Hands and Feet

This pic doesn't do it justice - there was SOOO much more spread across the lawn as well as 
inside the garage- 7 tables worth, also our living room was filled to the brim with more baby/mom items

This weekend was possibly the most physically, mentally, and emotionally draining weekends of my life (I only wish that were an exaggeration).. truly, yard sales are not for the faint of heart. What’s more, yard sales of this particular caliber.

It was insane. We had (and still have) a ridiculous amount to sell.  And thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of our hearts to those who dropped off their junk (or someone else’s junk), the sale would never have been possible without you! We are baffled by the kindness of friends and even friends of friends.

We’ve been collecting yard sale donations for months, which also equates to months and months of procrastination and panic, in my book anyway. However, by God’s good graces, He provided the perfect people at the perfect time to come alongside and help me pull it off. Props to, first and foremost, my sister-in-law, Caren who is here from Washington taking care of Papa while he recovers. Talk about timing! She was non-stop for days, staying up ‘til the wee hours sorting through and setting up... completely blowing my mind in every possible way. Love you, sister!

And then there were the random assortment of friends who showed up… whether they came to buy a cupcake to show support or arrive at 7am to set up camp, it was completely dumbfounding and I will never forget their sacrifice and kindness.. I hope to think I would do the same for a friend.

Since the beginning of this journey I knew God would be working on me, pressing me to relinquish my rights - my need to control. I put up a good fight. But the more I encounter His ways along the way, the more I’m realizing the passenger’s seat really isn’t that bad. ‘Cause it’s funny, every time I think I know something/anything, I find He thinks that’s pretty laughable. Why? Because He’ll go on to do something wild and so completely unpredictable. He’s asserting that He’s the one in the driver’s seat and that I can do nothing but enjoy the ride, hard work included.

SCARY! But fun.

After the sale Friday I headed upstairs to take a nap only to feel an overwhelming sense to write (clearly something I haven’t felt an urge to do for a while). I knew God had showed up that day. I couldn't stop thinking about it all. I couldn't sleep. I knew He wanted me to make a note of it. 

I now know why. 

Saturday was a flop. I woke excited, expectant, and ready for God to rain down just so. I had my heart set on $2000 and I felt even that was kind of low considering all the other adoptive mamas raving about their yard sale profits.. "$3000 in one day! $5000 total! this is the best way to raise a lot of money!” So I got stuck on their end results.  But after the last dollar was counted, and my sweet friend calculated the day’s dividends - a mere three hundred and eighty dollars, I wanted to cry. I blurted something like “was that even worth it!?” I was so focused on the funds instead of the word I heard from the Lord just one day earlier. 

Prone to fret and doubt, He knew I'd need a reminder. Oh how easily I forget His goodness. I actually had to go back and read that post again to remember what He said, that it wasn’t so much about the dollar made, but the people, the relationships being formed. That if I get her story out there He will do a mighty work through it. I wanted someone else’s story to be my story, but every time He's been quick to show He, and He alone, is the author of this pilgrimage. 

  

******

I'm on to the next fundraiser! A silent auction on facebook. I have a TON of really nice items left over... i don't think people/friends realized just who this stuff is from.. it's NOT junk. Most of the clothes are really nice. I have Seven jeans, Guess skirts, super cute dresses, clean baby toys and gear, books galore, a Tassimo coffee maker, vintage aprons, bars of fancy soap, etc., etc.

i was hoping to get some crafty people on board to donate an item they could make, or, just the same, items in your home we could resell at the auction.

THANK YOU, all of you, for your love and support! For your junk, your facebook shares, your baked goods, your tables, your showing up, your sales! THANK YOU a million times. i am so grateful to those on our team to bring our baby home. There are going to be so many more ways to help... big or small we are all working as His hands and feet!

That's my God.

Lounging on my bed, eyes burning, head throbbing, back aching, throat dry, I came away to rest-up…

Because tomorrow, like today, is going to be another crazy-exhausting-amazing-God day  - the kind of day where you know, you just know, He’s about His business.

We finally hit the lights at 2am. The garage looked like a freaking boutique. Organized and orderly, it was amazing -and it was ALL my Sister-in-law. Yeh, I ‘d say she pretty much saved me from a panic attack or two these past few months.. she isn’t easily overwhelmed, apparently!

this morning at 6ish we opened our doors…

and HE showed up

in the details mostly

connecting us to people in His distinct way

with

friends who…

looked after my wild brood and fed them chick-fil-a

lent a shoulder to cry on

took charge of sales

brought pumpkin spice lattes

drove from far-away places to rally behind us

shared resourceful garage selling tips and tricks

cheered on and came near to empathize

baked coconut  and pecan goodies

wrote checks just because

and gave just a little bit more, “for your baby girl.”

Then there were neighbors we never met who…

Became… what’s that?

Community.

Real community.

I started the day a bit doubtful even though I felt God speaking in the wee hours, in a dreamlike haze because 3 hours of sleep feels like being half awake:

“it’s not about the money you make, it’s the story being told. Her story."

I stood on the edge of my drive-way in deep convo with a customer

explaining how our journey began… and where we are in the process, i looked across the yard (you know cause I can’t look at people for more than a millisecond or my eyes bug out), and to my amazement there it was, a gianormous monarch butterfly flying as if in slow-motion above the neighboring house.

Orange and black, distinct and beautiful like the colors of Elizabeth’s puzzle.

That sight alone set my course back to the prize and I felt a light bulb being re-lit.

I smiled inside because I knew it was Him speaking

HE’s marking the course and she’s just a wee bit …free-er.

Then, 

Sophia showed up -

a sweet, petite, four year old with Down Syndrome.

When I met her eyes, Ellie became so real.

I could see it. I could envision her home outside playing side by side her new BFF.

Her mom chatted with me about her longing for community, another parent to share the joys and struggles with.

She seemed so strong.

She seemed so real and normal and well, just my kinda gal.

she might have been mid-sentence when i began to bawl my eyes out
yes, she is a complete stranger and i don't even cry in front of my own husband.
I reassured her baffled expression, "happy tears! i swear... I'm sorry"
and time stood still for a sec. i saw ever so clearly
just how God is weaving this all together

that it's so much more than a dollar bill to make (to bring her home)

I saw the point He was trying to make.

Relationship, it’s what’s closest to His heart.

now for the cherry on top, get this?

we are $970 closer to our little light (WHHHHOOOOHOOOOO)... and i haven't a single doubt, He's mighty.

COme play a part! we will be out there from 7am to noon and with baked goods too!! ;)