Saturday, December 28, 2013

Food for Thought

Several years ago, our dear friend Gordon brought us some roasted pecans.  They were so scrumptious - too much . . . maybe.  :)  It was a recipe passed on by his father, and he shared it with us.  We used it this year to make and sell roasted pecans for our adoption expenses.  They were a huge hit!  After expenses, we raised
$100!!




Suckers have always been an item we have used to fundraise, and this year, without even advertising, I received a great sucker order from our church.  Because I only have one mold for the design that I used, my batches made a few extras.  We were able to sell all of those, too!  After expenses, we raised
$57!

Friday, December 27, 2013

Christmas at Its Best: Dedicated to My Awesome Family!

Have you ever stopped in the midst of all the worldly hustle and bustle of Christmas and just fully examined the things we do?  There are so many things in which we partake simply due to "tradition", "custom", our "culture", and "habit".  I have found when we stop and truly investigate the ideas behind, the necessity of, and the outcome of certain activities, we are grossly disgusted at how much is lacking in the true meaning of Christmas. 

My purpose in writing this blog post, however, is not to focus on what's lacking.  It is to focus on what is truly and fully and beautifully wrapped up in the love of Jesus Christ.  It's what we experienced with my family this year on Christmas Day.  Last year, we began a new tradition amongst the adults - my brothers, my sister-in-laws, my parents, and ourselves.  Rather than spending money on buying gifts for each person, we decided to pool all that money together and give it to a charity.  Time was spent researching where the money would be donated, and we were all very happy with the end result.  We all agreed that it was a phenomenal gift to each of us to have our family members give to those in need.  It felt like it honored what Christ had done for us.

This year we prepared to do the same.  Amongst illnesses, sicknesses, and adoption fundraising madness, we could not quite sit down together to select our charity.  My Dad had a quadruple bypass this year, my Momma had one knee replaced, and both my Mom and future sister-in-law found they have breast cancer.  Everything was so chaotic in everyone's lives.  We designated Christmas night as the night to finalize our decision, when we would all be gathered together.  In the background, however, a beautiful thing was happening.

What we discovered Christmas evening, orchestrated with a beautiful and loving testimony by my sister-in-law, Kennah, was that our entire family were all rallying for one another.  It turns out, everyone was trying to surprise everyone else with a donation!  Knowing our incredible adoption expenses and efforts to raise the funds, the family had initially (without Jon or I knowing) decided to donate to our adoption fund.  But my Mom and I had been discussing how expensive it is driving back and forth to doctors appointments, in addition to paying medical bills.  Because Jon and I were unaware of the adoption donation, we consorted with the other couples to surprise my brother and future sis-in-law, Bryan and Amy, by giving to their medical expenses.  Meanwhile, we determined with John and Kennah that we ought to help Mom and Dad with their medical costs, too!

In the end, all our gift money was divided into three, and we received an adoption donation, and Amy/Bryan and Mom/Dad received medical expense donations.  Everyone was moved to tears!!  It was so cool!!  We also said super sweet things to one another that were quite simply, awesome to hear!  I'm super sentimental and mushy, so this is a Christmas I will never forget!   :)











Saturday, December 21, 2013

Part 3: May I Have An Envelope Totals!!!!!!!

Amazement is a word that properly describes how we feel at the success and provision of our envelope fundraiser. 
We were hoping 50 to 70 envelopes would be claimed - the final total was 86!!
We were hoping to raise at least $3000 - the total donated was $4782!!!! 
This has moved our fundraising thermometer up dramatically!!  It was also incredibly fun to be able to give back to some of our supporters with small gift certificates and prizes.  All five of us enjoyed taking turns drawing names.  Here is the list of prize winners:
 
Roger & Cathy Carpenter
The Doyle Family
Tanner & Whitney Brown
Gordon Wilkerson
Karen Devine
Jarrod & Sarah Malone
The Fuqua Family
Steve & Emily Danner
Jordan & Jennifer Heflin
Randy & Alicia McMain
Manuel & Jean Grey
Couples for Christ
Mike & Shelia Heflin
Amy Brust
Doris Evans
Kaye Wink
The Sapp Family
Bonnie Riley & Andrea Richeson
John & Barbara West
Jake & Hayley Basham
 
We are just in awe of our great and faithful God.  Even though we still have approximately $13,000 more to go, the financial burden does not feel quite as heavy.  For the time being, we are taking a break. 
We need it. 
The pace has been go-go-go, and we feel we can at least stop to take a rest . . . breathe . . . and try to be patient as we wait for news on our precious second child.  We don't have any more fundraising ideas anyway!  :)  In addition, we are still waiting to hear the decisions on two more grants.  Although we did receive another "no" recently on one of the larger grants, we are still incredibly grateful for what we have received.
 
When all is said and done, all the work will be beyond worth it.  We cannot believe God is blessing us with our beautiful Oliver, or the other precious three we already have at home.  :)




 

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Smile! (Photo Fundraiser)

What an honor to photograph families!  I set out in this fundraiser full of nerves.  I am not a professional, but have been studying photography for a couple years.  Not a lot, but when I am able.  I do at least three photo shoots per year (one for each child's birthday), but it's different when you are photographing your own family.  My confidence was low, but I was willing to make a good faith effort.  I ended up having such an amazing time with four special families, from two to eleven members!!  It was incredibly fun. 
 
The part I treasure most is what I was able to see through my camera's eyes.  Zooming in and studying faces more closely than normal, I saw the brilliant colors in the eyes looking back at me.  Small dimples in cheeks that I had never noticed brought the smiles in my frame a whole new light and personality.  I saw love reflected in the tender glances between couples.  Laughter spilled from the faces as these families enjoyed one another's company.  I was so blessed to be a witness to the bond these families share!  Every life is a story, and each person holds unique memories and lessons that make them who they are.  I feel like I was able to glimpse a little deeper into those stories, and was just overwhelmed by the beauty there.  Here are some of my faves of the beautiful families I was able to photograph.  Families who helped us raise another
$410
for our son and daughter!  I cannot wait to make memories with Oliver and our little girl, and find all the beauty in their little faces and lives!  Thank you to the Basham Family, Parrish Family, the Hunt Family, the Fuqua Family, the Williams Family, and my Mom and Dad!!

Mom and Dad
 
 Parrish Family
 
Kim & Blayne
 

Fuqua Family
 
Basham Family 
 
 
 
The Williams Family
 
 
 

 

Friday, November 22, 2013

Seven Thousand Mile Surprise!!

While digging a hole for a post in our front yard, we struck metal.  A large piece of metal.  My imagination went into overdrive . . . "It was an old chest buried hundreds of years ago.  A farmer did not trust the financial institutions of the day, and thought the safest spot for his money was underground on his property." 

Jokingly, I told friends, this is how God is going to provide for our adoption - a treasure chest hidden in the earth full of cash!! 

As it turns out, it probably was from a farmer, because we think it's some old piece of farm equipment.  We stopped digging.  :) 

As far-fetched as it sounds, God can provide ANY way He chooses.  Today, He provided in a way that we think is as amazing as a buried box of bills.  From almost 7,000 miles away, a complete stranger became aware of our fundraising efforts.  He shares a life group with a woman who sponsors Oliver at Bethel!  Wanting to help, he researched the costs of Oliver's flight from China to Kentucky.  He found it is approximately 1000USD, and asked if he could donate to help unite our family!!!!!  I love how God stuns us!  I am now assuming our mouths will remain open in shock and tears will continue to stay at the corners of our eyes as we go through this process.  "Wow" is the only word we have been able to articulate! 

One of our girls says "google" is the name of the largest number known to man.  While I am unsure if that is fact or fiction, we "google thanked" this kind man for his generosity, and God for pouring undeserved goodness on us.  Thank you God for our 7,000 mile surprise!!!!

A New Career

Dear Friends and Family -

If you are looking for unique and thoughtful Christmas gifts this year, I have a wonderful suggestion!!  I am now an Independent Designer with Origami Owl.  We make beautiful, customizable lockets and jewelry with charms that let you tell YOUR story.  Here’s a pic:

The company was just established a few years ago, so this is a wonderful opportunity to have or give something original this Christmas season.  I can also provide gift certificates, and send you a wish list if you want to drop a “hint” to someone about the gift you would like to receive!
Check out my website:  www.christellahudson.origamiowl.com
I would love to help you host a Jewelry Bar (party) and earn FREE products for yourself!!  With so many people looking for Christmas gifts right now, it’s very easy to earn free jewelry.  Even if you’re out-of-town, we can set up a catalog party!
Our motto is:  “You tell stories with words . . . we tell stories with jewelry.”  I began this venture to help raise funds for our adoption process, so this jewelry has the added blessing of helping change the stories of TWO orphans!!  Thank you for your time!
smiles,
Christella :)
 

Below are photos of some of my customers creations!!



 

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Shopping Expo!

When the day arrived, we had 15 vendors set-up with a variety of products including customizable jewelry, crafts, food items, bags, make-up, and more!
We are thankful for these vendors, the steady crowd, and our church for allowing us to use the spacious "Green Room"!
 
 

Cathy and Kennah Carpenter - Baked Goods
Pam Simon - Pampered Chef
Lauren Dechman - Lia Sophia
Linda Ford & Barbara Kerchevall - Personalized Key Fobs
Macedonia Quilters - Quilted Items & Crafts
Denise Bell - Upper Case Living
Sarah Wann - Mary Kay
Chelsea Rusher - Tastefully Simple
Linda Humphrey - Scentsy
Jill Withrow - Personalized Plaques
Grace Hudson - Quilled Cards and Bookmarks
Amy Bellamy and Brittany Zik - Thirty-One
(Amy also recruited the majority of the consultants!)
Julie Starnes - Zija
 




 We also had a sweet friend, Lacey Christ, take online orders via her business "Oh! Sew Silly Designs".  With the help of all these amazing ladies and lots of shoppers, we raised
$590!!!

Thank you for being willing to help others in the community!  AMAZING!