Yard Sales, eBay, & Papers, Oh My!

We decided to do another 2 day garage sale. We didn't have much to contribute as we purged closets for the last sale, but we put out a message to our homeschool group for donations. We also went to garage sales in our neighborhood last weekend and offered to come get their leftovers for them when their sales were finished. So, we spent last week preparing for the garage sale this week. We had several friends and their kiddos come help with sorting, set-up, selling, and clean-up. It is such a blessing in itself to see children pitch in their time and little muscles to help us adopt a child. We were overwhelmed with kindness of friends and neighbors as we approached our sale yesterday and today.

We set a goal of $500. Guess what? In 2 days, God provided our adoption fund with $502! Praise His name!!

I continue to eBay A LOT. In fact, I am neglecting my new love of photography and need to dust off that camera this weekend and snap some photos of my kiddos. I pray you all have a wonderful Memorial Day as you recognize & celebrate the lives of those who gave their lives to keep our country free!!

We STILL wait for the clearance from CO for the HS. I hear it should be mailed this coming week?? C'mon form!! USCIS is next and we have the money ready now! Thank you Jesus!

Still Waiting, but some GREAT News

We are still waiting on one little piece of paper from Colorado to be HS ready. Yes, we have passed the three week mark : ) I am using this time to prepare for another garage sale and do some more eBay fundraising.

The great news??? Our friends Greg and Cara are FINALLY on their way to Haiti to pick up their 2 boys! Go take a look....**
**update** Greg and Cara will be waiting a bit longer. The visas were not released. Keep praying!

It's About Time to Go Private

As we approach becoming HS ready and are already seeing different situations happening on the Ch*na adoption front, my dear husband would like our blog to go private. Leave a comment or e-mail me if you would like to receive an invite. We'd love to have many of you continue to follow our journey as we take each baby step that will lead us to that plane that will take us to our child. I will take this blog private soon. We have 2 kiddo birthdays this weekend and family joining us to celebrate. I hope your spring weather is as beautiful as it is here in TX!

We are still waiting on that form from Colorado. Other than that the agency contacted us today, and they are ready to approve our Final HS once that form shows up! The form should take another 3-4 weeks. We missed a signature and the forms had to be returned. They should be back in our hands on Friday. Baby steps, but steps : ) God is good!

So, as we wait, I keep practicing with my camera. I am so sad that the end of my photography class is drawing near. It has been a wonderful class! I hope you guys have great spring weather like we are here in Texas. It is amazingly beautiful!

All Things Bright and Beautiful

All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.


The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
He made them, high or lowly,
And ordered their estate.


The purple headed mountains,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning
That brightens up the sky.


The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one.

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
To gather every day.

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

Cecil Alexander (1848)

A Setback Anyone?

The e-mail we sent to our agency today:

Dear M,

I am writing to inform you that our HS rough draft will not arrive to your office today as originally discussed. We were informed yesterday that one thing had been overlooked when gathering the needed paperwork. Rhea's child abuse clearance was not obtained from Colorado. We will have the necessary paperwork needed to complete this request Thursday from our SW's office. After obtaining the forms, Rhea will fill them out, sign, get them notarized, enclose a $30 cashier's check and mail it all to Colorado.

We have been told that the turn around time will be 4 weeks. Once our SW receives the completed clearance, she will update the rough draft and submit the HS to you for approval.

Best regards,
Rhea & Shannon

WHEW!

We have looked over and approved the rough draft of our HS and it is now in the hands of our SW to forward to our agency! We are moving right along...

Oh and btw, although the above photo is not our actual paperwork, our stack is similar and a tad bit more disorganized. (insert sheepish grin) Why must I be so honest in these blog posts??

USCIS, HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!!!!