Monday, August 17, 2015

A knitting fundraiser, $2.99 per pattern. Get in on the fun!

Hi All,

Over on our newest blog for our newest adventure we have a knitting fundraiser that is pretty exciting!

We surely hope you will come FOLLOW along :-D

This post, on the new blog, is for a knitting pattern fundraiser with much thanks going to Larissa Brown for her pattern. http://4fitz.blogspot.com/2015/08/calling-all-knitters.html

please click over, and PLEASE SHARE!

Any knitters out there with blogs? Hook a girl up! :-D The fundraiser is LIVE Monday August 17th through Wednesday August 19th  Here is a direct link to the pattern sale: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ultra-eyelet

Blessings, Lynette


Sunday, January 25, 2015

A sibling for Phoebe?

After a bit of a hiatus, I am here to fill you in on family plans and hopes. This news has been floating around our facebook page, and I hope to update on this blog, or start a new blog for this process. For now, I welcome you to read this detailed family update on our plans:

A few times recently the question of us adopting a sibling for Phoebe, from China, has come up. The timely length of the process has come up, and I was thinking it would be good to give an update, a prayer reminder, and show a timeline for friends who may have questions about this process; firstly, we are personally still raising a certain goal of funds that Kevin and I have decided in prayer before we take any more official steps. We are q-u-i-t-e a ways off from this planned goal. It is important to note that we consider that this adoption would be an absolute miracle, so we covet your prayers and support. It will take even LONGER than an average process (average which is a little over a year, to a year and a half or longer if you hit some bumps in the road like we did with paper work for Phoebe's adoption-- and take into consideration, short of a surprise-financial-windfall, that this would take longer than a year and a half to two years) I was looking for a clear description of the adoption process, that boils it down even more clearly "in a nutshell" than it really is (you know what I mean, so many nuances and bumps in reality) So, with this in mind, I plan to cite some blogs and other internet sites on upcoming blog posts for anyone who is looking for some internet reading, or who is simply interested. Keep a look out for those the coming days, weeks, months! I plan to target things like timelines, and descriptions of the process.

You can think of us currently as if we are planning a pregnancy, so I think of it as "figuratively dreaming of another baby/child", which I think protects my heart a bit. Basically, we are chatting, planning, and considering our options for fundraisers. Honestly, not much nesting, or other excitement yet. ;) But, YES, much in the way of HOPE.

Pausing for a note on fundraising:  we had a successful craft sale in our home, and with a follow up auction on fb. There are plans for more fundraisers, which hope to be fun and a blessings to our friends, family, and internet community as well. Thank you SO much to our contributors and shoppers!!!!! We love you!!!!

Once we are more in process you can consider us "paper pregnant". And if this time is anything like Phoebe's paper pregnancy, it was scary, daunting, fun, and exciting like most pregnancies and adoptions are; I was certainly nesting, doing **loads** of paper work for our agency, for China, for Homeland Security, lots of medical appointments which included a few blood tests and physicals, feeling excited and nervous, literally dreaming of little one at night with vivid dreams, thinking about names, setting up her bedroom and crib, enjoying baby showers, etc.

Thanks all for your support, for those of you who have prayed, enjoyed fundraisers, sent checks with loving notes, and more. Please, understanding that this is a very long process for people in our situation, even so, we need your caring support now, so keep up the supportive comments, the prayers each day for us, and follow along even if the updates are more far apart at this time. Hopefully in time, according to the Lord's will, we will keep inching forward.

I'm prayerful about a certain part time job soon, and there is something possibly in the works that could be a real blessing. This will help us make our tight household ends meet if it comes to fruition, plus it would be something "for me" which is a love of mine, and I am hopeful for news soon.

Kevin and I have prayed that kev would receive over-time to help with the adoption (which sometimes means that money will help us catching up on house bills and medical bills, which does in turn help the adoption fund, too) After a dry spell, he did  receive some over time, with hopes of more, so we consider this answer to prayer.

No matter what, we want you to be more aware of the plight of the orphans, praying for them, supporting other families who are adopting, or agencies. Reach out to ask me questions at any time; I will try to answer, or get you in touch with the right person. Our adoption fund is growing slowly but **surely**, (He, Jesus, is showing us a gradual growth, and answer to prayers along the way, with MANY spiritual markers!! I am a fan of those markers ;) ) We hope these moneys can bring our child home to us, but if that ultimately is not God's plan then the fruits of that fund will go to help another orphan. 
Blessings, Lynette

PS:
In the meantime, since we have last blogged, we have moved about 45 minutes away from our old home, have been doing lots of projects in our fixer upper '64 spit level home, and simply living life with its ups, downs, and daily walk.

Here are a few recent pics of Phoebe, so my blog pals can see how she has grown! :) She is amazing, smart, and always our JOY! She is in preschool a couple days a week, adores her teachers & friends, and will be 4 years old soon. I cannot even wrap my mind around that news. 4! Time flies.  




Saturday, April 20, 2013

Keeping busy and enjoying spring

Thank you Beth for reminding me that I need to make a new post. well, reminding me in a around about way. ;)

It has been way too long.

What is going on? Phoebe is getting bigger, and she is a doll! She is so bright, sweet, and amazing.

At 2 years and 2 months old, she loves to "write" which includes coloring,  and also writing with a pencil or pen. I have not tried to make her do that, she asks for these things. She also loves to point out letters and say "O and A" for all of the letters. Again, that came from inside her, and incidental learning.

I love taking her for walks and pointing out all the spring things. Recent walks included seeing flowers, squirrels, buds and blossoms on trees, a friendly neighborhood cat, and friendly neighbors, dogs, and more. we love to "talk" about things we see; and with that cute kitty, Phoebe even got to feel her tail.

She LOVES birds. Imitating their sounds is a fave past-time.

There has been A LOT of road work lately, with trucks parking in front of our home almost daily, Phoebe has gotten to see the trucks, the holes they are digging, and even wave at the workers.

Lots of learning and life experiences!! 

Happy spring everyone. 


 Blessings, Lynette

Friday, February 15, 2013

Crafting for adoption "it is a ministry"



Hi all.

Well, where to begin...

Kev and I are still paying off the loan for the adoption process last year. It is all worth it!  That being said, I plan to consign Phoebe's clothes and sell some other items. I may even bring my Etsy shop back to life, though there will be different items there than before.

Kev wants to sell his trains to raise some cash.

I  am working part time now, and most of my paychecks last year went right into our fund, so I worked my bottom off to bring home our babe. 

Call it whatever you want, for those of you who don't like the term fundraising, call it simple, good old fashioned hard work. 

But I for one don't mind the term fundraising, a dear friend in the adoption community put it very nicely when she said "this is a ministry". 
(Thank you, Linda!!)

I will tell you this, when I visited the orphanage I was forever changed. This is more than growing one's family, this is saving a life, this is celebrating life, and this is doing God's work.  

Who knows if Kev and I will be able to do this again (yup, I said the word "again")...if we were to do so we would need your support in prayer, in loving hands-on support, and for those of you able to give, yes, in fundraising.  

We are not yet adopting again. Right now this is about catching up with the adoption of Phoebe.  

Thankfully the adoption tax credit should help immensely, as long as that works out as it should.

Right now, I am simply trying to repay the old debt, which could maybe open the doors for _____ ???

I only want what the Lord wants! I will say this though, He has told me to go forth and start crafting my little heart out...and He is pulling hard on my heart strings.  Lead my path, Jesus.

Ummmm, if I craft it they will come?

If anyone else who does fundraising for adoptions wants to reach out, I welcome you. As I say up front, we need to repay the current adoption debt, so that is what it is all about right now. And since we made 3,000 last time around, you know the debt is weighty. 

Kevin and I both have a big huge heart for adoption, but specifically special needs orphans. 

I hope that He really does have another child in the big picture for us. If it were up to me I would fill a huge home of children. Kev I am sure is happy with one (or two).

  Right now, we wait on Him.  

(this is kev, as we waited to board a plane to go get our Phoebe).



Love to all, Blessings abound!
Lynette, His.



Sunday, February 10, 2013

"Gung Hay Fat Choy!!"

Happy Chinese New year and to my other Asian friends, Happy Lunar New Year.






for more CNY / LNY stuff visit my other blog for Early Childhood fun and learning, here: http://www.playanddiscover.org/2013/02/happy-chinese-new-year-happy-lunar-new.html

Blessings, Lynette