$1300 in 2 weeks! What?!

So let's do the calculations.

It's $650 per week, $92.86 per day, $3.87 per hour.

That's what we need....$1300 in the next two weeks so that we can send in our Dossier and get on the wait list! I can't bring myself to believe that's what stands between us and the "list".

This weekend at church we talked about the fact that we are overcomers. It was such a wonderful message.

Romans 8:31 says, "...If God is for us, who can be against us?" Pretty powerful. With Christ, we are overcomers. We are conquerors.

Makes me feel like we CAN do this. We TRUST in the Lord and we pray, and we work hard....we are doing what He has called us to do...and we know He will bless it.

It's hard to think about all we have left to do....all the money we have left to raise...it's a bit overwhelming at times. But, I remember that anytime I have felt doubt and prayed, He has always blessed us. Be it with a new order from my Etsy store, or maybe a new "side job" for Clint, sometimes even a sweet donation in our mailbox or through our Paypal account. He has shown us time and time again that we CAN do this, we CAN trust Him. We CAN!

Craig went on to preach that as an overcomer we have to FIGHT WITH CONQUERING ATTITUDES! He said there is power in our story...in our testimony.

When Craig was talking about this, all I could think of is MY story. My testimony of pain and loneliness....and of hope and faithfulness. I HAVE A STORY. One day I will figure out how to tell it.

Psalm 18:29 "In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall."

He also said that as an overcomer we have to FIGHT WITH SUPERNATURAL WEAPONS!

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 says, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."

We have to remember to put on our armor. To be able to deflect those negative comments, those snide remarks...those doubters. We have to fight evil with the power of the Holy Spirit and know that when we do, we will be OVERCOMERS!

I have to believe that every day....remind myself that we can overcome this.

$1300 in two weeks..... we can OVERCOME that amount!

I am working like crazy to come up with new things for my shop, work on existing orders and really just try to get the word out!

If you would like to donate to our adoption fund, you can do so here on our blog....or you can purchase an item from my Etsy store.

We also still have adult T-shirts left (sizes L & M, a few Sm too)....I have heard MANY people say that they are the softest t-shirt they own! :)

So, thank you in advance for the love and support!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

2 Years Ago Today

Two years ago today we had to say goodbye to one of the loves of my life. Two years ago today we had to help load his things into a Jeep and watch them drive away. I cried silently as I had to put him into the carseat in a car that was unfamiliar to him. It was like he knew. Clint and I made it through the day in a fog. Coming home to a house without Bruce was so unreal.

Bruce was such a ray of sunshine in our family. He was funny and sweet and had such a cute disposition!
When he came to us, he was so little. He was 14 months old and so wide-eyed. He was so unsure of this new place.
I remember the first night he was with us. He had gotten so used to the living room in our house that he wouldn't sleep in his crib. He cried and cried.
I made a pallet on the floor in the living room for he and I. He cried most of the night. I felt SO bad for him. I was helpless. All I could do was hold him and love on him. My connection with him was instant. So was Clint's. Bruce loved Clint SO much. They were precious together. He was always so excited to see Clint walk in the door at the end of the day.

Here's Bruce when he came to our house that first day. He just sat next to Clint on the couch. We had Clint's parents there and our sweet neighbors from across the street came to say hi too.


Bruce really warmed up to us quick. I think once he knew he was safe and not going anywhere, he was able to relax.
Here he is a few weeks after he came...and 1 haircut later!

Our lives were so enriched. We loved him more than words can say.

Today is tough. Each year the details of him seem to get harder to remember. One thing is for sure, the love I had (have) for him has never gone away. I know it never will.

Our first Christmas with Bruce. He loved to see our reaction when he would touch the ornaments on the tree. What a funny boy.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the kids together. Stockings hung, PJ's on....it's just sweet.

This was the night before Bruce left. He got some sweet time in with his baby sister, who we brought home from the hospital on Feb. 14th. He was really sweet with her.

Bruce, we will never forget you. We will never stop praying that you are loved and cared for like you deserve! We miss you every day.

Blame It On The Rain!

For some reason I am in an "adoption funk" today. Not sure if it's because we haven't seen a BIG response to our Dinner and Silent Auction, or if it's because I just REALLY want to be a Mommy NOW, or maybe it's just the rain today. Whatever it is, it's icky! Feelings like this are never productive. They dont solve anything, or make me feel any better.

I know that God has a hand in this adoption and that alone makes me feel like I can overcome any kind of "funk" i'm feeling!

Tonight I get to dine with my "dinner club". It's a group of ladies from my neighborhood that have come together to do a book study, but we have decided that going into spring and summer that we needed something a little less demanding. So....dinner club it is! I'm looking forward to Kerri's lasagna and poppy seed cake!

I also plan on sewing tonight (we'll see...with dinner club and American Idol I may not have time!!). Last night I made this cute bag. I left the name area blank (but photoshopped a name in on the first pic so everyone would get the idea). I LOVE the deer! So cute!

Good Mail Day

I love when I go get the mail and discover we have something to add to our Dossier!!! Yesterday we got all of our authenticated paperwork back and I was so thrilled. I thought for sure that I had waited so long and it was going to take forever! nope. Now I can say I have everything done (except the USCIS fingerprints, etc) for the Dossier! COME ON March 4th (fingerprint day)!!!!!

Last night I made this cute little personalized tote bag for my Etsy store. I'll make a few others, including a boy one, tonight. They are in my store now, and are $15. :)