12 Days & Counting

This post was taken from a blog friend and you never know who might see this through another friend of a friend.  Please pass it along, share it with everyone you know.  You can tell from the date that it was posted....this sweet boy has 12 days and counting now.  Time is running out, but nothing is impossible with God!

December 20, 2010

time is running out...please help!

Twenty days is all this handsome young man has left to find his forever family. 

Just. Twenty. Days.

And then--he will never have the opportunity to be adopted again.

Oh my heart.  I cannot stand the thought.

Look how sweet he is....



I cannot even imagine being in his situation.  Seeing countless "little kids" leave the orphanage with their mom and dad and wondering, wondering, wondering, if his turn will ever come.

Sadly for this young man, time is about to run out.  He has waited for such a long time on waiting child lists--but no one has ever said "Yes" to him.  Can you imagine being passed over so many times?

Absolutely heartbreaking for any young person.

According to the agency that has his file, apart from a history of Hep B (just like our girls--very easy special need) he is healthy, smart, and a great thirteen year old kid.

Goodness, I just know that his family is out there somewhere.  I know someone will go.  Why?  Because I believe with all my heart that there is a family for every child who waits.  They just have not found him yet.

Unfortunately, there's a catch...

He absolutely must be adopted before his fourteenth birthday in February.  That means that his family MUST already have a dossier in Ch*na.  They must be in the process of adopting another child from this country and are willing to add this boy to their adoption.  Or, their dossier is in country and they are waiting on a referral.

One of my favorite lines from the movie, "Faith Like Potatoes" is when Angus Buchan says, "The condition for a miracle is difficulty, however the condition for a great miracle is not difficulty, but impossibility."

God loves to show His glory through seemingly impossible situations.

It's time to stand a trust the Father for a GREAT MIRACLE for this sweet guy.  As time ticks by and things become more and more impossible, I ask myself again, "Is anything impossible for the Lord God Almighty?"

I know the answer all too well.  So do many of you.

Nothing is impossible!  Nothing at all.  Not even this. 

Please, friends, can you help us to spread the word about this young man?  Post him everywhere you possibly can in the hope that his mom and dad will find him soon--before it is too late.  Once he turns fourteen he will be considered unavailable for adoption.  He will never know what it feels like to be loved and treasured by parents.  He will remain in the orphanage until he is sixteen...and then...well, who knows?  It is the sad reality of any orphan who ages out of the system.  Hopelessness.

Twenty days...that's all we have to get the word out there on the internet.  Will you please help?  Will you pray with us for the GREAT MIRACLE that he so desperately needs this Christmas?  Will you help to spread the word wherever you can?

I so appreciate your help.  You guys totally rock.

Let's give him the best Christmas present ever...a family!

If anyone wants more details, reply or leave a comment to this post, or e-mail me at renealynch at yahoo.com and i can put you in touch with the ones you need to talk to  regarding this sweet boy!

Merry CHRISTmas!

So..... I kinda missed the month of December!  Where did it go?!  Did anyone ever mention that the last two months of the year are quite simply THE busiest time of the year for photographers?  They should be enjoyed and leave you feeling blessed.  They leave me exhausted and quite frankly sometimes just disappointed in folks.  (Hey, we're being honest right?!)  I didn't say all folks, just some, sometimes.  For the most part December was a terrific month for me!  For us.  We are blessed beyond measure and spending time with family the last few days have reminded us of that fact.

I had a long post I was going to write about Black Friday last month, but everytime I started it.....well, it was always so negative I couldn't click publish.  It was such an awful experience.  Simply put, I was reminded why I do my shopping online!  I almost sat down in the middle of the WalMart on black friday and cried.  Yep.  That bad.  I hadn't been in over ten years.  So my first 're-encounter' was more than I could handle.  They now have security and police in the stores to keep people from stealing and fighting.  Which doesn't always happen, preventing it I mean.  There were actually grown women fighting over bed sheets.  Yep..... I almost cried.  So I'll spare you the gory details of that trip.

I discovered yet another new online friend, Christie Cotney and learned all about her return to Uganda, Africa to serve the people of Bugaboo Village.  The even better part...  learning that it only cost $100 to sponsor a child for AN ENTIRE YEAR!  We now have a new boy to add to our 'family'.  =)  Meet Samuel...

He is 5 years old and lives with his grandmother. He wants to be a pilot when he grows up. His favorite color is red. He loves to eat rice & meat, and his favorite animal is a cow.  And now, Samuel is a part of our family.  ♥

The really awesome part about Christie's ministry and sponsoring these kids is that your donation covers the children for the ENTIRE YEAR!  Samuel will now get to go to school, have a meal provided to him everyday, and have dental and medical check ups on a regular basis.  You can read more about Christie's mission on her blog and she updates with photos regularly!!!  We may even get to Skype Samuel someday.  We sent him a letter for Christmas.  One of the men that is helping Christie was reading her newsfeed on facebook and actually ask if 'Santa' was real or just a game?  Can you imagine living in a country where Christmas is celebrated ONLY as Christ's birth and nothing else added to the mix?!  What a testimony.

I also spent a week or two in December following Kristi & Kelly's trip back to Ethiopia!  I found these girls online over a year ago and love seeing what their families are up to and what Kelly is doing with Ordinary Hero.  They traveled back to ET to meet Kristi's daughter's birth mom.  WOW.  What an adventure in pictures and words.  My heart was overwhelmed with emotion just from a far.  I can only imagine the girls' excitement and love of the people there.  What a blessing to be able to share their trip through their blogs and facebook!  You must go read!  Especially if you are considering adoption!  Kelly has some new photos of waiting children on the Ordinary Hero site that are waiting for a new mommy & daddy!  Be still my heart!  ♥

I'm a room mom and got to help plan the Christmas party for Tanner's first/second grade class at school.  I'm the cool game mom! ;) lol  We had a blast!  So glad I get to be a part of his life (all my kids' lives!) like that.  Time goes by too fast not to take time to enjoy the little things!

And of course school Christmas programs were too cute!  The North Pole Goes Rock-n-Roll!  I made my little man an elf costume.  I turned this:

 into this:  (not too shabby if I do say so myself!)

 Santa visits the school every year after the program so the kids can tell him what they want for Christmas.

Then we had the Christmas program at church that Joy and I were in charge of with our youth group kids.  And I must say they did an AWESOME job!!!  We were so proud of them all!  And I was rather fond of one of the little wise men. ;)

Note to self.... next year teach dad how to shoot around the people in front of you. ;)  

And, well, then Christmas hit!  We spent Christmas eve with family at my Granny's.  Tanner hauled in on the golf gear.  Not sure where that came from but he was tickled to death!!! =)

Sugar high!  LOL ;)

Then we had Christmas at home with just us and the kids.  Aaahhhhh...... didn't have to go anywhere, drive anywhere....just enjoyed our kids and each other on Christmas day.  My parents came over, had lunch and gave the kids their presents and then it was just us again.

Did I mention Samuel!?! ;)  That was my Christmas present from my hubby.  His sponsorship and the most amazing letter from my man.  He's so wonderful.  I couldn't ask for more.  I am blessed.

Taylor made homemade 'Elf Cupcakes' from a recipe book she got for Christmas!  They were adorable!  Even if it did take her two days to make them!  LOL  Poor girl doesn't like cooking, and this little project reinforced her dislike for the kitchen.

The boy got us up at 5:30 a.m.!  Seriously!  Ugh...... ;)

  

Even Gus got a stocking with beggin' strips in it.

I was hoping Tyler would get a haircut as my Christmas gift.  ;)  Didn't happen!  lol  I still love him and his fuzzy locks!

Then today we went to my aunt and uncle's house for another Christmas dinner after church.  Lots of good food, more family and fun!  We went sledding just like when the big kids were little kids.  =)  Makes you wonder why you don't do these things more often.  ♥  We are blessed!

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas and look forward to a bright new year!  

Give Thanks

Give Thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever! 

~1 Chronicles 16:34~

Our family gathered for Thanksgiving on Thursday.  Our little family of five and my husband's brother and his family of 6, along with my father-in-law.  Three teen/adult kids ages 15-21, and four wee ones from 3-10.  Yep, we scattered them in all ages, lol, but it makes for tons of fun!  The older kids played board games all day in the game room and watched videos, while the littler ones played with toys, played tag outside and entertained themselves.  And us grown ups.... well, we played cards after my sis-in-law and I cleaned the kitchen and the guys got in their game time and power naps.  ;)  

Us 'big kids' playing cards.

The attitudes playing board games. ;) lol

Gotcha sis!  My daughter always turns away when I'm taking pictures...  she didn't know I was 'packin' when I walked into the game room.  GOTCHA!  =)  Only picture of my daughter from the whole day.  Oh well.  ♥

Our 'twins'.  These two are cousins and just a few shorts months apart in age.  They are in the same grade in school and both were named after their grandmother....

My Tanner Lee, and bro-in-law's Chandler Lee.

And no, in case you're wondering....we didn't plan ANY of it!  lol  They get along famously!

Even 'cousin' Macie came for Thanksgiving.  And Gus was beyond thrilled to have a playmate for the day.  Just like the kids.  They wrestled, explored the great outdoors and took long, lazy naps all day.  (And thankfully....there will be no puppies in our future.) lol

Now... here's a cute little piece of useless information for you:  My husband's side of the family must have some super powered genes because all of our kids tend to look EXACTLY like their fathers.  So much so, that the cousins even tend to look like brother and sister.

Check out my Tanner:

And my niece Kenzie:

Downright scarey freaky huh?!  :)  But definitely adorable!

I can't believe we didn't take some pictures of the food and my HUGE new table that my hubby finished for me.  He bought an antique table at a benefit auction the church had, brought home a BEAUTIFUL surprise for me of a dining room table that is nearly 100 years old (I know this, because I know the family that donated it!), and I could comfortably seat all 11 of us for dinner.  Yep.... ALL of us, and I LOVED IT!

I know someday I'm going to have to have another 'kid' table when we start adding grandbabies, but for now, we can all sit together, share together, help one another, and love eating as a BIG family together. ♥ It was my favorite part of the day.  

After dinner (and before games and cards) I took family pictures for my bro-in-law's family.  (you can bet it was all his wife's idea! lol and we tortured him as long as we possibly could).  Family pics and a new Christmas card were made and I can't wait to surprise them with some extra goodies come Christmas time! ;)  I can safely share this tidbit because I know Michelle doesn't read my blog.  lol

My Bro-in-law Howie & awesome sis-in-law Michelle (who makes the most incredible chocolate pie ever!)

My oldest niece (and I claim her as my first child...long story) Brittany & Macie

New Christmas card with my favorite cuties!  Sidney, Chandler & Kenzie (aren't they just adorable?!)

♥ Family Christmas Card ♥
I just wish I had one for my OWN family! lol

I hope you all had a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving with your families.  Stay tuned to hear how it took a turn for the worse on Black Friday!  (just kidding.....but it wasn't pretty)

SERIOUS giveaway!

So, while surfing my many MANY blogs I love looking for inspiration for a few projects, I stumble upon a FANTASTIC giveaway for a new SILHOUETTE machine!  WOWZERS!

What is a Silhouette machine you ask?  

Well, surely some of you know what a Cricut machine is?  Right?  That fancy cutting machine that we all drooled over in the infomercials when we couldn't sleep at 2 a.m.  Yes, that one!  

*BOO*HISS*

 That nasty machine that you apparently had to buy new cartridges to use with it because the ones that were supplied with the machine, well....simply stunk!  Not a lot there.  And when you discovered that cartridges were anywhere from $25-$75 EACH!  It just plain stinks!  Gives highway robbery new meaning.

WELL.......  this new Silhouette Machine I'm hearing about is the same......only WAY better! ♥

It cuts and does all the fun sewing, craft and scrapbook projects you thought you were going to love about your new Cricut machine,

only it doesn't cost you an arm and a leg in the process!  You see, it hooks right up to your computer and you can download just the designs you want for as little as $0.15 each (yep, they're on sale right now...) or you can use the same fonts and images you already have installed in your computer!

YEAH, you read that right..... the fonts you ALREADY HAVE can be cut with this beautiful little machine.

Now, how do I know all of this you ask.....when I don't have one of my own?

Well, that leads me back to my blog addiction, I mean inspiration.  

The makers of the Silhouette have lost their minds!

They are giving some of these away!

And on Monday, they are having an insane sale if you don't win one!  CRAZY!  I can't wait to win one!  (hey, dream big right?!)

But if I'm not a lucky winner, you can bet I'll probably be adding to the budget this month, a new must-have necessity for our home.  Yes, I call it a necessity to justify splurging on myself from time to time.  I imagine all the cool things I can do as gifts and special surprises for others.  So, it's a service item.  It allows me to serve others more cost effectively.  yeah, that sounds great! ;) lol

Okay, so enough chatter..... check out this list of ladies who are hosting these giveaways:

1. HowDoesShe

2. Make It and Love It

3. Homemade by Jill

4. Infarrantly Creative

5. We Are That Family

6. Grosgrain Fabulous

7. Thrifty Decor Chick

8. The Idea Room

9. NoBiggie

10. Shanty2Chic

11. The Idea Room

12. Moms Review 4 You

13. Love Stitched
14. Decor Chick

15. Tater Tots -n- Jello

And when you're done surfing all those sites and getting your entries in, check out THIS LINK for the actual Silhouette site to take advantage of their incredible sale going on Monday and all week for Black Friday deals.  ♥ 

Hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday with the family.  I'll let you in on our festivities tomorrow.  But now.......  back to contest entries!  I'm not finished!  LOL  =)

P.S.  Who wants to buy a slightly used, in excellent condition Cricut machine?

*tHiNgS*

So, my bloggy friend Kim made a post about Oprah's recent show on 'favorite things'.  She said it so well, so rather than throw a bunch of mixed words in and get my mind to racing all over again, she's given permission to copy her post and share it.

Did you see what Oprah gave away this year in her annual "Favorite Things" show?

Me neither.

I'm sure it had something to do with chocolate, some kind of kitchen ware, wonderful bath salts and a scented candle. Maybe even all of those each month for a year. Or seven.

Who knows.

And honestly....who cares?

The TV was on for the first few minutes of the show...just long enough for my high school son watch a crowd of grown women scream and cry and have heart palipations because they are taking home some loot.

A lot of it.

While I don't have strong opinions of Oprah one way or the other, and I'm 110% sure she is not one of my readers, I don't blame her for the out of control reactions of the crowd. I blame "us".

My son commented, "Mom...wouldn't you be going crazy if you were given all that stuff?"

While I like a good bath salt as much as any other tired mom, I can honestly say I felt a bit sickened by the whole thing.

Enough to turn it off, actually.

It's just not my thing....and I pray will never be among my "favorite things."

Consider the Orphan. No, not Oprah...the Orphan.

What would rank as their top favorite things?

A Family.

Security.

Love.

Encouragment through life.

Food.

Safety.

A place of belonging.
Knowing their Mom and Dad love them.

Knowing their God loves them more.

HOPE.

That, my friends, would cause THIS grown woman to scream, cry, and have heart palipations.

And I would do it in front of millions of viewers.

So, while you're thinking of your favorite things, or what you will shop for over the next few weeks consider this:  what if you shopped while meeting a need?  While giving to a good cause.  There are tons of ways you can give someone a gift, still pamper yourself in the process too and help someone else at the same time.  Over the next few weeks I want to share some ways to do just that.

For Today..........

And right now they are buy one get one FREE!!!!!!!  Click HERE to check them out!  I think I may need a few! ;)  You can also go to www.livefashionable.com to learn about this project and the story behind the cause.