a friend in need

Is a friend indeed
and the long and short of it is this:
PEOPLE ROCK
It never ceases to amaze me how supportive and uplifting my fellow adoptive moms are.

Most of these ladies I have never even met in person,

we are friends from Cyberland

 joined at the heart because of adoption.

The first single adoptive mom I ever connected with was Tracey down in California.
and ever since I started my journey to bring LB home Tracey and Vera
have been cheering me on the entire way.

I had a rough moment last week
over a certain paper I need to submit for my dossier
that my mortgage company flat out refuses to write.
In the midst of the Candice-is-losing-it tears that ensued
I got an email from her telling me that she is doing a fundraiser to help me out.
Wow
is all I could think.
How amazing is that?
You can check out what she's selling at
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeartsHope

fundraiser #2

Most of my friends will remember these.

For those of you new to me, I spent a few years doing the craft sale circuit

selling these handmade baby slippers.

I have pigs, puppies, chicks and mice

as well as little bears.

All handmade by me

(and my wonderful nan)

and now being sold off at the incredibly awesome price of $20 pair

(plus shipping)

If you'd like to purchase a pair, or 5 (a girl can dream)

you can find them in my etsy shop

Just click on the link

Thanks!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/99135713/felted-animal-baby-booties

last call

Remember these?

I was overwhelmed at how many of you purchased one from me.

You blessed me beyond words.

THANK YOU

I have exactly 7 left and I would love to get rid of them.

If you, or someone you know, could use one

just pop over to the fundraising page and click the donate button 

 enter the size you need

and I'll mail it out to you.

I have 7 women's large left.

Thanks friends!

THANK YOU

THANK YOU

To my wonderful family 

all my little dancers and their moms and dads

the VPD

fellow adoptive parents

and all my friends 

who have purchased shirts over the last month

made donations

and taken the time to speak a word of encouragement 

or give me a hug.

Your generosity has overwhelmed me

and touched my spirit 

in a way that I can not truly express.

From the depths of my heart I thank you all.

With love and deepest gratitude.

last chance

This is your last chance to order a tshirt!

I will be placing a final order with Natasha on Monday

so need all orders in by Sunday.

it matters to this one

A Buddhist monk was walking on a beach with his apprentice the morning after a fierce storm.

Thousands of starfish had been washed up and stranded on the shore.

Stooping down, the monk carefully lifted a single starfish from the sand

and gently placed it into the water.

His young apprentice gazed along the shoreline at the thousands of starfish that lay before them.

Feeling hopeless, he wondered aloud 

why his master would bother with one creature 

when it would make little difference to the stranded mass...

does a small act, such as this really matter?

As they walked along the beach, the monk stopped and picked up another starfish.

He lowered his hands into the water 

and releasing the starfish replied:

it matters to this one.

These beautiful tshirts were designed and printed in Edmonton AB by the lovely and talented Natasha.

And if you think these are awesome, you should check out some of her other work at 

whiteoutworkshop.com

If you'd like to purchase a tshirt I've made it super easy.
Just hop over to the fundraising page and click!

miracle

I was blessed beyond words this Christmas.

Shortly before the holidays I received notice from the agency that the fees for Russia 

were about to increase substantially.

I am still mid-homestudy with an ETA of February/March to have it complete.

Once I have received the thumbs up from the Ministry 

I can proceed with registering in the Russia program at which time a large chunk of fees will be due.

Then along came this notice with an offer to let me pay the old amount 

before January 1st and avoid the increase.

Absolutely.

But how and where I was going to come up with this large amount on such short notice 

was the cause of a lot of worry to me.

Then Christmas happened

My amazing family gifted me money and even went so far as to hold a 50/50 draw 

on behalf of my adoption after our turkey dinner.

Most amazing of all though was my sister's gift:

She designed the most beautiful tshirts to sell as a fundraiser and had already raised over $2000 in advance sales to her friends and professors at UofA.

I was shocked and humbled.

Her generosity of spirit, 

and the support and love that was flowing off of those pages and pages of names.  

People I have never met

that want this to happen

was more awe inspiring than I can put into words.

It is one thing to have a dream.

It is quite another to have people you love and people you've never met

stand up behind you and want that same dream for you.

Miracles happen.

big news

Yes.  You read that right.  I have officially begun the paperwork to adopt.  

So to kick off my fundraising efforts mom and Allan hosted a giant garage sale at their house yesterday. It was a long day, but a good one. 

Lots of well wishes and positive thoughts and some very generous people.  

Thank you.  

From the bottom of my heart I thank you.

"What are you adopting?" one lady asked me.

"A child." I replied.

"Wow!  That's different."

Is it?  

There are over 150 million orphans in the world.  I think that this is something that should be on everyone's mind.  

Maybe its just me...