Invites

I'm getting to them, I promise. Just trying to do 3948 things at once.
In Him,
E

We're Leaving on a Jet Plane....

Can't you just hear the music? That's right...we got our travel date today!!! WOOHOO!! Now this crazy mama is freaking out a bit. You won't be hearing from me much around here for a while. The blog will go private this weekend so I can speak more freely about our journey. If you'd like an invitation to still be a reader, you MUST email me in the next few days (nogreatergiftmom@yahoo.com). There are a limited number of invitations and first dibs go to family, so first come first served.:) These pages will not take priority over spending some quality time with my angels the last few days we are home, so again- email me SOON!!! I will try to update as much as possible once we are in country.

Financially, we are still quite nervous. Several things happened this week that were unexpected and have us on edge a bit, but GOD IS GOOD and won't leave us now.

WOOHOO!! Ruslana, here we come. I can't believe this is really happening!
In Him,
E

Look who is 3 months old today!!

Oh how I LOVE this little guy!! I can't believe it's already been 3 months.

In Him,

E

Almost There!!

I feel like I should update everyone on the status of Ruslana's adoption. We thought we would have received our travel date last week but because of the H1N1 virus outbreak in Ruslana's country, things are moving a little slower. PRAYERFULLY we'll receive news tomorrow or Wednesday, and yes, I'll let you know when we hear something.:) If my calculations are right (which I'm sure they're not:), we'll be traveling around the end of the first week in December.

I'll be honest- I am terribly excited and beside myself at the thought of FINALLY meeting our angel, but a part of me is very sad. We may miss Christmas. I know. I know. "Think about God's gift to us, E." "Think about what God is blessing you with this Christmas, E." "How could Christmas be any sweeter than meeting one of God's angels chosen just for you- one that He has chosen to share with you?!?" You see, I've heard it all, and I know. I really do and can't believe that He chose us. God is blessing us in the most undeserving way. We are so unworthy, yet, He continues to amaze us with His goodness over and over, and I'm still uneasy and sad. Sad that we may not be here to celebrate with our family. Sad that my kids may be waking up without us Christmas morning. I am praying for peace. I know our children will be surrounded with love during our entire absence.

I am also a bit uneasy about $. I feel like I keep coming back to this. Of course, it has turned out that we will be traveling during the busiest time of year and guess what that means? The most expensive time to fly. We thought our total flights would be around $4000 and that we would have some air miles or discounts through a friend, but I'm not sure that will work out. So, this is what it's looking like-

2 round trip tickets for 2 adults- around $2,200
2 round trip tickets for 2 adults for 2nd trip and 1 ticket home for Ruslana- $3400

Yikes! About $1600 more than we were hoping. And the more I sit here and type out my worries and complaints, the more I realized that we'll be fine. I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that God has our entire trip planned. I know that financially we'll be okay. I know that Christmas will be a time of rejoicing and celebrating no matter which continent we're on. I know that God is Almighty and will have faith in Him forever!

I am so human.
In Him,
E

Sweet Kirill NEEDS a family!

I want to introduce you to Kirill. Oh, I just want to scoop him up and squeeze him!! He is an orphan with Down Syndrome whose time is literally ticking away. If a family is not found for him in the next few days, he will be sent to an institution that he will NOT be able to be adopted out of. Period. Please, help me spread the word about this angel. Kirill does have a grant worth $1185 available for his adoption. Just this week, another angel who was down to hours before transfer was blessed with a $5,000 grant and matched with her family! That's all Kirill needs- a family willing to commit. You don't have to be ready to travel tomorrow. You just have to be willing to commit to him and get busy on your paperwork. A simple commitment will save this boy. Please, join me in prayer for this sweetie.

Below you will find more specific information about Kirill. If you wish to view more specifics about his country and the requirements to adopt from there, click here.

In Him,
E

Kirill
Boy, Born May 1, 2006

SIGNIFICANT RISK, PLEASE ADOPT ME SOON!

Kirill is a very special little boy. He is being given one chance to find a family. Placing him can mean the full referrals of many other children with Down syndrome waiting in this far western region of Russia (close to the border with Europe).
Kirill is 3 1/2 years old....his mother was very young when he was born, and she simply was not able to care for him. The truth is that there is no place for him in this society...she wasn't really given a choice but to give him up. Kirill is HEALTHY, with platinum blonde hair and blue eyes. He is a very tender and affectionate little boy.

Progress report at 2 years: He recognizes his caretakers and reacts to them calling his name. He crawls and walks with assistance and eats from a spoon. He is doing very very well considering his environment, and will really benefit from early intervention services here with his new family!

At 3 1/2, he is walking and climbing everywhere like a very typical little boy!
And look how cute he is in this new photo, with his glasses, he is like a little Reece! What a blessing, that his orphanage was able to provide him with glasses! Someone PLEASE save Kirill!

№ 8c2c Brothers and sisters no

Date of Birth: May 2006

Gender: Male

Eyes: Gray

Hair: brown

Character: Kind, gentle, at 2 years of walks with support.

Contact Andrea for more information.

Blog Award!!

This award makes me laugh! Thank you so much, Lyndi, for honoring me with this beauty and reminding me to keep it real. Lyndi is a fellow adoptive Mommy friend who only a few months ago returned home with Patrick- a LOVE who is also blessed with Down Syndrome. I am amazed at his progress in just a short amount of time. His is truly an angel!



The nitty gritty-

Here are the rules for this award:

1) Must thank the person who gave the award and list their blog and link it.

2) Share "10 Honest Things" about yourself.

3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged you.

4) Tell those 7 people they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving the award.


So, are you ready to learn so little known facts about yours truly?!! Here goes-

1. I can do an "Irish Heel Click". Yes, you heard right, but don't you dare ask me to perform for you. This is only done in the privacy of my home around my hubby and kiddos. The girls actually had the nerve to compare my "click" with one of a youth pastor the other day. And can you believe who's they thought was better?!?! Not mine!



2. I LOVE classical and piano music. I could listen to it all day long, but I'd probably be divorced if I did that. It makes my husband crazy!



3. I am absolutely, without a doubt, an introvert. You may be thinking "what?!?" with the way I blab on these web pages, but it's true. If you were to meet me in real life, you may not even think I was the same person. I am quiet and would prefer to stay home in my "bubble" than to be socializing with the best of them. I was a cheerleader. Yes, an introverted cheerleader. And not just any cheerleader, but the captain of our cheerleading squad. I'm not sure what happened between then and now.



4. I have a problem getting dressed in the morning. There...I admitted it. Many, many, MANY days you will find me still in my pajamas at 4:00 PM. This is one of the many benefits to homeschooling, I guess. Truly, it's so bad that one of our dogs begins following me and showing concern that I'm leaving him when he sees me get dressed. He knows that the only reason I get dressed is to leave the house. Pathetic, I know, but my lounge pants are SO comfortable!!



5. I am 32 years old. It's funny because I can never remember how old I am- really! All last year I thought I was 32 until this past birthday when my hubby informed me that I was in fact turning 32. Wouldn't you know it- I am able to be 32 for another whole year. It's quite sad, though, because I was never able to be 31.:(



6. I am 32 but have a 16 year old. I know what you're thinking, so go ahead and do the math. Having her so young absolutely shaped who I am today. I did not drop out of school. Actually, I graduated with honors thanks to much support from my family. Thank you Mom and Dad!



7. Ever since I can remember, I have wanted to be a Neonatologist. I'm not sure if that dream will ever come true. I believe that God knows it is physically beyond possible for me at this point in my life, so He's replacing that desire with my new passion for orphans. Still in the business of helping those who need it most.



8. I am NOT graceful although I dance around with my girls and pretend that I am. Just a couple of weeks ago I was chasing our youngest daughter through the family room and tripped over an electronic keyboard that had been left on the floor. Yes, I did see it and tried to jump over it but didn't make it. I hit the hardwoods (I now know why they are called "hard"woods) with barely enough time to stop my nose from being crushed. Literally, I was within a 1/2 an inch of a broken nose. Hubby thought we'd be heading to the hospital after he saw and heard my hit. My knees felt it the next day.


Many, many days I notice new bruises on my legs, arms, hips and wonder where in the world they came from. I share this problem with my Mom so I'm sure it's genetic.:)



9. I have lived in the same county my entire life. I have also attended the same church since I was a baby. I love it here and can't imagine living anywhere else. Of course, if God calls me to Africa, I suppose I should follow.



10. I do not have OCD but the clothes hanging in my closet are sorted by color and season. I have NOT always been this way and blame my husband for this problem I have. If you were to see the rest of my home right now, you wouldn't believe that my closet is so neat. I'm not sure why the compulsiveness doesn't spill out into other rooms, but it doesn't.

Now, I really need to get to bed so I'll continue with my award recipients tomorrow. Hope you all have a blessed weekend!!
In Him,
E

Handmade rocks!

One of the tassels I made last year that I wish I hadn't sold.:(

First, an update (for all of you who keep harassing me:). We are PRAYING that we receive a travel date next week, and PRAYING that it is for the first week in December. A family who submitted paperwork the week before us just got a date this week for November 30th. I promise, I'll keep you posted.

Christmas. Oh how I LOVE this season of giving!! And I'll go ahead and say that this post isn't about whether we should or shouldn't exchange gifts or how much or little we should spend. For my family, we are focusing on both the orphan crisis and giving gifts.

We adore creating. We love getting our hands dirty and pouring ourselves into our creations. There are so many others out there who love the same thing. If it's something that I cannot make myself, I'd much rather support a fellow creator instead of Walmart or Target. Don't get me wrong, you'll see us many days strolling the aisles at Target indulging ourselves in the popcorn combo snack for $1.50. I love Target's clearance. Very rarely do I buy something there that isn't 75% off. Sorry...back to my topic.

Handmade. Support the locals. Support other Moms. Support other adoptive families. Support the "little guys". Let's support each other. I encourage you to check out Etsy. The talent you will find there is unbelievable. I am including just a few of my favorites.

FreeBranch Jewelry- this lady does beautiful work. Maybe I'm partial because she is my sister, but I don't think so. She has such an eye for nature and incorporates that into her jewelry. And can I just say that I've told her she's crazy for charging so little for her masterpieces?!? Yes, she charges between $8-$10 per pair of earrings and doesn't even charge shipping! J's Etsy shop is brand new but you can visit her blog and view a few more of her creations here. Just snoop around, I'm sure she won't mind- her jewelry photos are in a couple posts.

Dare I say I am the proud owner of several of these bags (and some of my family received them as gifts last year) and I LOVE them!! I never knew what to do with those silly, plastic produce bags at the grocery store and didn't dare throw them away. Now, I don't have to worry about it. I have owned my mesh veggie bags for about a year now and they are still going strong. And the price, you ask? Only $6 for a set of 4. Stop by and pick up some for yourself and those you love.

And these....well, let's just say DON'T EAT THEM!! Yes, they look good enough to eat but they do better in the bathtub. That's right- each of these works of deliciousness are soap (the popcorn above and the cupcake things below). Everytime I look at them they make me smile. The same family members who received the reusable produce bags above also received some soaps from LoveLeeSoaps. The popcorn soap even comes in it's own popcorn bag. Too cute! The owner of LoveLee is also only 19 years old- how cool is that?!

Oh, and Red Letters. Can you guess what Red Letter Words stands for? Just think "Bible". The creator of Red Letter Words is a strong Christian lady who proclaims her faith through her work. She is able to put any favorite scripture onto canvas.

And of course, there is Shaping Lives Pottery. Our daughter was part of a huge holiday show this past weekend and was so blessed by the many people she met. I know some of you are reading this- thank you for supporting my girl! She sold A LOT but has plenty left ready to ship. I will post more pictures of immediately available items tomorrow. If orders are placed this weekend, she will ship Monday afternoon.

Again, I encourage you to support each other. Visit a few of the artists I've mentioned. You won't be disappointed.

In Him,

E

**And, of course, don't forget Reece's Rainbow's Angel Tree Project. Each of these children need a family NOW and your small financial gift could mean the gift of life to these angels.

Sweet Zoe

THANK YOU for all the prayers for Zoe. She had surgery late Sunday night to remove the key- it was lodged somewhere in her throat. Amazing how God kept her safe through this ordeal. Obviously, they kept her for observation and to make sure there were no tears. And YAY there was no further damage. Monday she was able to go home.

I'll write more tonight. In case you haven't noticed, I've been MIA. Hope each of you have a blessed day!
In Him,
E

Urgent prayer request

We learned just a bit ago that a dear friend's 2 year old daughter swallowed a key and it is lodged in her throat. She has been transported via ambulance to a local Children's Hospital for surgery. Please, pray for sweet Zoe and her parents Kelly and Jeremy.
In Him,
E

CANCER FREE!!

Praise God!! Many of you who have been around for a while know about and have been praying for my dear sister-in-law, Markana. Today's test results......

MARKANA IS IN REMISSION!!!

She has been battling Hodgkin's Lymphoma for over a year now. Her PET scan results today showed she is cancer free!! Although I will miss my trips to Nashville to help care for my sweet niece on "chemo weekends and weeks", I will not miss the reason why I needed to go. Markana now faces a 6 week stem cell process before it's all over. Please, keep her in your prayers as she faces the final phase of this nasty illness. I urge you to visit her Caring Bridge site (link in right sidebar) and leave her some encouraging words.

Amazed by HIS grace,

E

SUBMITTED!!!

Oh, yes, our paperwork has been submitted in Ruslana's country! This is HUGE, I tell you. We are praying that we leave U.S. soil before the end of November. This may be a miracle, but have you been watching this journey?!?! The whole thing has been a miracle!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!

I received several emails from people wishing to donate to our "orphanage donation" bag. A few people who have been to the orphanages in this country suggested some wonderful items- lotion, chapstick, black socks. And very clever- black socks because the floors are so dirty! Not that I want to think about how terrible that is, but a good solution if you must have one.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers for our family! We are almost a family of 7- crazy!
In Him,
E

Sorry....I've got nothin'

That's right...nothin'. No news. Prayerfully, by tomorrow night I'll know something terribly exciting. A hint-

This photo was taken a year ago- I can't wait to see what she looks like now.

One prayer request- evidently H1N1 is rampant in Eastern Europe. These countries don't have access to the medical care and supplies that we do here. Many government agencies, businesses and even schools are closing for several weeks in Ruslana's country. Please pray for these people especially the children. Orphans aren't looked at very kindly there and any extras (medical supplies, disinfectant supplies, etc) will not make it to the orphanages. Prayer is the only thing that can protect these angels.

In Him,

E

*I am considering giving up one of my travel bags to make it a donation bag- hand sanitizers, socks, etc to donate to R's orphanage. If you have any "in's" or any suggestions, please let me know. The things we take for granted are what these angels need most right now.

Tomorrow's Secret

Tomorrow (Monday) might just be the day that something much anticipated happens. You're waiting for me to tell you, right? Sorry. You must wait. And I'll only tell if it really happens. How mean is that?!?

We have been through the ringer the past few months- the ups and downs of adoption. We are no different than any other adoptive family, though. Each of us have our share of trials, but God HAS seen us through. Even now I marvel at where we are today and the miracles that God has shown our family.

I'll give you a hint and say that this part of our journey may just be ending soon. See you tomorrow!
In Him,
E